The beauty of Hindsight
by PaulaB87
Summary: Wyldon does not allow Kel to stay at the end of her first year changing the events to unfold in Tortall. So the great mother goddess gives to eight people the four books that should have been Kels story as they read the books and comment. More inside
1. Chapter 1

_**Ok so I was thinking of a story and thought I would try it out and see how it goes…. It is a lot like reading POTS but instead Kel is kicked out after her first year and has disappeared so there will be one chapter from first test and one from where she is**** now and what she is doing. I will post the first two chapters up now and see how I go. Goddess bless! Ok normal writing is what is happening to Kel now and bold writing is directly quote from the Tamora Pierce book also there will be comments as the people who need to read the books in Tortall comment. Disclaimer I do not own the characters or land they all belong to Tamora Pierce.**_

Kel on her way

Kel looked back at the palace as she left if they didn't want her well, she would still find away to help and protect those that needed protecting what Kel didn't know was right at this moment, In the divine realms the great mother goddess was watching the lone figure on horseback leaving the capital of Tortall.

The goddess smiled at the stubborn girl and whispered "you my daughter shall still become what you are needed to become".

Kel unaware of what was about to befall her in her new life knew that she could not return to Mindelan as her parents would just send her the convent which as far as she was concerned was not going to happen while she was alive.

As the young girl and horse slowly made the way from Corus to Port Caynn the goddess turned her eyes and focus back to Tortall where she will show those who were supposed to show chivalry and honesty what they have now done with their future.

~~Back in Corus~~

"Kel, Kel you in there, by Mithros open this door before I break it down" Neal of Queens cove yelled at his friend Kel's door.  
>Just as he started to use his gift to unlock his door the palace suddenly disappeared and before him sat the most beautiful woman he had even seen with emerald green eyes and hair as black as night and on her lap sat a black cat with purple eyes.<p>

"My son you will not find Keladry at the palace she has left but you my son I have a job for I shall return you in a moment to the palace, where you shall ask for an audience with King Jonathan, Lord Wyldon, Lady Alanna, Queen Thayet, Sir Myles Numair and Lord Raoul. When all of them are there you are then to tell them it was I who sent you and that I have sent you with a gift of hindsight for them in the form of four small books. You Neal are not to let those books out of your sight until all seven of those people are in the room. Do you understand?" the goddess asked Neal

Neal looked up at the goddess and gulped "ye… ye… yes great mother."

"Good now here and go with my blessing and know that one day soon you shall she Keladry again, tho not until she is back on her correct path in life." The goddess smiled the Neal and sent him back to the palace.

Neal feeling very odd once again found himself outside Kel's door but now holding four books in his hand the first being called First Test.

Neal ran for the king's rooms as fast as he could at the doors he spoke to the severing man "I am Page Nealan of Queens cove, I require an audience with the king immediately."

The serving man looked at Neal and went to talk to the king a few moments later he came back out "the king will see you as you say this is so important."

Neal walked in and bowed to the King "Your Majesty"

The king looked at Neal "What may I do for you page Nealan?"

Neal looking at the King replied "I went to visit Kel….. page Keladry but she did not answer her door highness I was yelling at her to do so and threating to unlock her door with my gift when suddenly I wasn't in the palace any more I was in front of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen highness. Emerald green eyes and black hair with a black cat on her lap and the black cat had purple eyes." At this the king stared at the page even more carefully for that description was of the great mother goddess and the cat that was Alanna's cat.

"Continue Page" the king ordered.

"Well highness she then informed me that I would not find page Keladry in her rooms but that she had left, so I am guessing that Lord Wyldon would not allow her to stay. The goddess then went on to inform me that I was to come straight to you when she sent me back and to ask you for an audience with you highness, Queen Thayet, Lord Wyldon, Lady Alanna, Sir Myles Numair and Lord Raoul and the she had sent me with a gift of hindsight for you" at this he showed the king the four books in his hands. "Also that I was not to hand the books over until all seven of you were here together. Also highness the goddess said something I could not work out she said I would see Keladry again once she was back on her correct path in life." Neal stopped at this and looked at Jonathan.

Jonathan realising that something very important was to happen called for a serving man and demanded that Thayet, Alanna Wyldon, Myles, Numair and Raoul are to be brought to his library immediately.

A few hours later all seven were present where Neal explained again to all what he had already told the king. As the other six sat there and started at him suddenly three jumped from their seats and ran to the door where now a silver veil hung over the door none could enter and none could exit Jonathan, Alanna and Numair looked at each other wondering how this had happened.

Suddenly a beautiful woman was sitting in Jonathans chair Alanna and Neal seeing her both dropped in to bows murming "Great mother"

Jonathan Thayet, Myles, Wyldon and Numair followed moments later

The goddess looked at the eight in the room as Neal was still there.

"Neal you may stay and listen to this or you may leave it is your choice the goddess spoke gently to him."

Neal hearing this thought I want to be in on this one and laughed to himself at how Kel would react if she knew. "I would like to stay goddess if I may."

The goddess smiled and nodded to Neal while this interchange was taking place the black cat on the goddess lap had gone to purr and smooch Alanna, it then turned and hissed at Jonathan and Lord Wyldon .

Alanna grinned at Jonathan and asked in the sweetest voice "Majesty what have you done to make faithful hiss at you so?"

Jonathan just glared at Alanna.

"My children I have summoned you all hear together as Neal has brought you a gift from me this is what the Gods Had planned for Lady Keladry, until you changed it and have very likely Sealed the down fall of Tortall, the only way it can be saved now is if Keladry follows the new path we have laid for her. For now tho until you have finished all four books you cannot leave these rooms. Food and other things may pass My barrier but a human or Immortal may not."

With that the goddess left.

Jon looked at Neal who held the first book out to him. He took it and asked who would like to read it first.


	2. Chapter 2 Reading POTS

_In this chapter is the reading of the first chapter of first test and reactions to it for a while Lord Wyldon will still be against Kel. His reactions will change._

Queen Thayet took the book from her husband and opening the book began to read

_Chapter 1: Decisions_

**Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion, could hardly contain her glee. Baron Piers of Mindelan had written to King Jonathan to say that his daughter wished to be a page. Alanna fought to sit still as she watched Wyldon of Cavall, the royal training master, read the baron's letter. Seated across his desk from them, the king watched the training master as sharply as his Champion did. Lord Wyldon was known for his dislike of female warriors.**

Raoul and Alanna glared at Wyldon who had enough sense to look away while Alanna Muttered to Raoul "still should have challenged him" Jonathan glared at them and waved to his wife to continue on

**It had been ten long years since the proclamation that girls might attempt a page's training. Alanna had nearly given up hope that such a girl—or the kind of family that would allow her to do so—existed in Tortall, but at last she had come forward. Keladry of Mindelan would not have to hide her sex for eight years as Alanna had done. Keladry would prove to the world that girls could be knights. And she would not be friendless. Alanna had plans to help Keladry through the first few years. It never occurred to the Champion that anyone might object.**

Oh but object they had Alanna this time turned her most icey stare on both the king and Lord Wyldon Neal seeing this shiverd and moved closer to Raoul he did not want to get on the wrong side the Lioness

**Alanna half turned to see Wyldon better. Surely he'd read the letter at least twice! From this side the puffy scars from his battle to save the younger princes and princess were starkly visible; Wyldon's right arm was in a sling yet from that fight. Alanna rubbed fingers that itched with the urge to apply healing magic. Wyldon had the idea that suffering pain made a warrior stronger. He would not thank her if she tried to heal him now.**

**Goddess bless, she thought tiredly. How will I ever get on with him if I'm to help this girl Keladry?**

**Wyldon was not flexible: he'd proved that to the entire court over and over. If he were any stiffer, Alanna thought wryly, I'd paint a design on him and use him for a shield. He's got no sense of humor and he rejects change just because it's change.**

Lord Wyldon turned his steal gaze at Lady Alanna "Paint a design and make me a shield I should challenge you to the courts Lady Alanna."

Alanna snorted "I lord Wyldon am allowed my own thoughts and you should remember that."

Thayet seeing as the would carry on started to read agin

**Still, she had to admit that his teaching worked. **

Lord Wyldon looked at Alanna and smirked saying "yes my training does work, that is why I am training master and you only a knight".

Alanna Glared at him wondering it jon would tell her off if she did challenge Wyldon to a duel.

**During the Immortals War of the spring and early summer, when legendary creatures had joined with the realm's human enemies to take the kingdom, the squires and pages had been forced into battle. They had done well, thanks to their training by Wyldon and the teachers he had picked.**

**At last Lord Wyldon returned the letter to King Jonathan, who placed it on his desk. "The baron and the baroness of Mindelan are faithful servants of the crown," the king remarked. "We would not have this treaty with the Yamani Islands were it not for them. You will have read that their daughter received some warrior training at the Yamani court, so it would appear that Keladry has an aptitude."**

"Yes the girl had aptitude, but she is a girl and girls just are not as strong as men." Lord Wyldon remarked at this Alanna started to think of spells she could place on him.

**Lord Wyldon resettled his arm in its sling. "I did not agree to this, Your Majesty."**

**Alanna was about to say that he didn't have to agree when she saw the king give the tiniest shake of the head. Clenching her jaws, she kept her remark to herself as King Jonathan raised his eyebrows.**

**"Your predecessor agreed," he reminded Wyldon. "And you, my lord, implied agreement when you accepted the post of training master."**

**"That is a lawyer's reply, sire," Wyldon replied stiffly, a slight flush rising in his clean-shaven cheeks.**

**"Then here is a king's: we desire this girl to train as a page."**

Wyldon looked at Jonathan and replied "I should not have accepted that look at how many fights she caused."

Jon looked at Wyldon shocked "you would have disobeyed a royal command?"

Wyldon looked at jon "yes I would have given you the choice the girl trains and I leave or She does not train and I stayed, but I bowed down and now look at us stuck in this room."

Alanna, Myles and Raoul all looked at Jon and Wyldon wondering what would happen.

Thayet looked at them all and looked back to the book and started reading again

**And that is that, Alanna thought, satisfied. She might be the kind of knight who would argue with her king, at least in private, but Wyldon would never let himself do so.**

They all looked at Alanna Raoul chocked on a laugh "private, Alanna really you don't even agree with him in public."

They all laughed at this.

**The training master absently rubbed the arm in its linen sling. At last he bowed in his chair. "May we compromise, sire?"**

**Alanna stiffened. She hated that word! "Com—" she began to say.**

**The king silenced her with a look. "What do you want, my lord?"**

**"In all honesty," said the training master, thinking aloud, "I had thought that our noble parents loved their daughters too much to place them in so hard a life."**

**"Not everyone is afraid to do anything new," Alanna replied sharply.**

**"Lioness," said the king, his voice dangerously quiet. Alanna clenched her fists. What was going on? Was Jonathan inclined to give way to the man who'd saved his children?**

Jon Looked at Alanna "is that what you really thought that i would just give way to some one Alanna?"  
>Alanna just glared back at the king and waved to Thayet to please contiue<p>

**Wyldon's eyes met hers squarely. "Your bias is known, Lady Alanna." To the king he said, "Surely the girl's parents cannot be aware of the difficulties she will encounter."**

**"Baron Piers and Lady Ilane are not fools," replied King Jonathan. "They have given us three good, worthy knights already."**

**Lord Wyldon gave a reluctant nod. Anders, Inness, and Conal of Mindelan were credits to their training. The realm would feel the loss of Anders—whose war wounds could never heal entirely—from the active duty rolls. It would take years to replace those who were killed or maimed in the Immortals War.**

Everyone looked upset at this reminder of the immortal wars.

**"Sire, please, think this through," Wyldon said. "We need the realm's sons. Girls are fragile, more emotional, easier to frighten. They are not as strong in their arms and shoulders as men. They tire easily. This girl would get any warriors who serve with her killed on some dark night."**

"Yet after all that she managed to save some of the pages and give commands to older pages while they stood there stupid." Raoul stated

**Alanna started to get up. This time King Jonathan walked out from behind his desk. Standing beside his Champion, he gripped one of her shoulders, keeping her in her chair.**

**"But I will be fair," Wyldon continued. His brown eyes were hard. "Let her be on probation for a year. By the end of the summer field camp, if she has not convinced me of her ability to keep up, she must go home."**

"Fair you weren't fair she was better than all the boys and you know it Wyldon yet you still made her leave." Alanna stated glaring at whyldon then suddenly turning to the king calmly stated "And you your Majesty are no better I thought being my frined you would know girls can and are sometimes better than boys. The way you are acting one would think you are becoming a conservative yourself." Alanna turned away and walked ove to the window to stare out of it .

Jonathan not knowing what to say looked to Thayet to keep reading

**"Who judges her fitness?" inquired the king.**

**Wyldon's lips tightened. "Who but the training master, sire? I have the most experience in evaluating the young for their roles as future knights."**

At this Raoul looked at Wyldon and spoke "well if that is your thoughts maybe you should retire."

Thayet silently agreed but continued to read

**Alanna turned to stare at the king. "No boy has ever undergone a probationary period!" she cried.**

**Wyldon raised his good shoulder in a shrug. "Perhaps they should. For now, I will not tender my resignation over this, provided I judge whether this girl stays or goes in one year's time."**

**The king weighed the request. Alanna fidgeted. She knew Lord Wyldon meant his threat, and the crown needed him. Too many great nobles, dismayed by the changes in Tortall since Jonathan's coronation, felt that Wyldon was their voice at court. If he resigned, the king and queen would find it hard to get support for their future changes.**

**At last King Jonathan said, "Though we do not always agree, my lord, you know I respect you because you are fair and honorable. I would hate to see that fairness, that honor, tainted in any way. Keladry of Mindelan shall have a year's probation."**

Neal looked up and spoke for the first time "I know of a few of the boys who should have had probationary years and should have gone home and you will see why as this goes on if this carries on as I believe it will."

Both jonathan and Wyldon looked at neal trying to figure out what he ment.

**Lord Wyldon nodded, then inspected the nails on his good hand. "There is one other matter," he remarked slowly. He looked at Alanna. "Do you plan to involve yourself in the girl's training? It will not do."**

**Alanna bristled. "What is that supposed to mean?"**

**"You wish to help the girl, understandably." Wyldon spoke as though the mild words made his teeth hurt. "But you rarely deal with the lads, my lady. If you help the girl, it will be said that you eased her path in some special way. There are rumors that your successes are due to your magical Gift."**

**"By the Goddess," snapped Alanna, crimson with fury. If the king had not forbidden her to challenge men on personal grounds years before, she would have taken Wyldon out to the dueling court and made him regret his words.**

**"Alanna, for heaven's sake, you know the gossip," King Jonathan said. "Stop acting as if you'd never heard it before." He looked at Wyldon. "And you suggest… "**

**"Lady Alanna must keep from all contact with the girl," Wyldon replied firmly. "Even a moment's conversation will give rise to suspicion."**

**"All contact?" cried Alanna. "But she'll be the only girl among over twenty boys! She'll have questions—I could help—" She realized what she had said and fell silent.**

Alanna hearing this started to get angry again turning on Wyldon she asked in her sweetest voice "Wyldon did Keladry ever come to you when she had a problem? Did she come to you to talk when she started her moon cycles or her breasts grew?"

Wyldon looked at Alanna "so that is what you meant by that, and no she never did."

**King Jonathan gently patted her shoulder. "Is there no other way?" he asked.**

**Wyldon shook his head. "I fear not, sire. The Mindelan girl will be the cause of trouble as it is, without the Lioness hovering over her."**

**The king thought it over. At last he sighed. "Lord Wyldon has the right of it. You must stay away from Keladry of Mindelan, Alanna."**

**"But Jonathan—sire—" she pleaded, not believing he would do this.**

**"That is an order, lady knight. If you cannot accept that, say as much now, and I will find you work elsewhere."**

**She stared at him for a long moment, lips tight. At last she got to her feet. "Don't tax yourself. I'll find knight's work myself," she told him. "As far from Corus as possible." She stalked out of the room, slamming the door in her wake.**

**The men stared at the door. Each of them was trying to remember if Alanna the Lioness had ever spoken to Jonathan in that tone before.**

Alanna looked at them all and said "if you think that was bad well here is something for you once these books are read and we are released I am leaving my post as champion and am retiring to Pirates swoop until the day I die."

Everyone looked at her then Jon suddenly realising how far things have progressed wondered if he could get her to change her mind.

Raoul on the other hand looked at Alanna then at Jon again saying "As I will be resigning as commander of the Kings own also, retiring back to Goldenlake."

Jonathan then realised that with the way things had gone with the Girl Keladry he had just lost two of his closest and oldest friends.

Thayet looked at her husband then looked at the book to keep reading.

**Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan watched Keladry read the reply from the training master. A Tortallan who did not know them well might have thought the man and woman felt nothing, and that their ten-year-old daughter was only concerned, not upset. That was far from true. The family had spent the last six years living in the Yamani Islands, where displays of deep emotion were regarded as shameful. To get the Yamanis to respect them, they had all learned to hide their feelings. Home in Mindelan again, they still acted as Yamanis, hiding uneasiness and even distress behind still faces.**

Neal smiled at this he knew Kel and her Yamani mask annoyed many people and now he knew more of where she got it from.

**Kel struggled to reread the letter, afraid to say a word. If she did, her shaking voice would give her away. Instead she waited as she tried to control the anger and sense of betrayal that filled her.**

**"It is not the reply we expected," Baron Piers said at last. He was a short, stocky man. Keladry had his build, delicate nose, and dreamy, long-lashed hazel eyes. Her brown hair was several shades lighter than his. When Kel did not reply he continued, "His declaration of ten years ago was that girls could become pages. Nothing was said of probation then."**

Many in the room wondered just what might have happened, if more nobles whose daughters were sent to them and given the probationary period would think as well.

**"Keladry?" asked her mother. "You can say what you feel. We are no longer among the Yamanis." She was a thin, elegant woman, taller than her husband by nearly a head, with hair that had gone white very early in life and a deep, musical voice. All Keladry had from her was height. At the age of ten the girl was already five feet tall and still growing.**

**It took Kel a moment to register what her mother had said. She tried a smile. "But, Mama, I don't want to get into bad habits, in case I go back with you." She looked at Lord Wyldon's letter again. She had expected to be a page when her parents returned to the Yamani Islands in eighteen months. From the tone of this letter, perhaps she ought not to count on that.**

**"It isn't right," she said quietly, even fiercely. "No boys have probation. I'm supposed to be treated the same."**

**"Don't give your answer yet," Baron Piers said quickly. "Take the letter with you. Think about what it says. You're not hasty, Kel—this is a bad time to start."**

**"Reflect as if you have all of time, even when time is short," added her mother in Yamani. "Be as stone."**

**Kel bowed Yamani-style, palms flat on her thighs. Then she went to find someplace quiet to think.**

**First she went to her room beside the nursery. That wasn't a good choice. Two of her brothers' young families lived at Mindelan. With the children and their nursemaids next door, there was enough noise to drown out trumpets. No one had seen her creep into the room, but her oldest nephew saw her leaving it. Nothing would do for him but that she give him a piggyback ride around the large room. After that, all of the older children wanted rides of their own. Once that was done, the nursemaids helped Kel to escape.**

Raoul, Alanna and Neal chuckled at this knowing what young children are like.

**She tried to hole up by the fountain in the castle garden, but her sisters-in-law were there, sewing and gossiping with their maids. The kitchen garden was her next choice, but two servants were there gathering vegetables. She stared longingly at her favorite childhood spot, the highest tower in the castle, and felt a surge of anger. Before they had gone to the islands her brother Conal had teasingly held her over the edge of the tower balcony. Until that time she had visited the top of that tower at least once a day. Now the thought of it made her shudder.**

Neal looked at Wyldon and calmly asked "now my lord would you like it if your brother had done that to you? Would you force someone who is plainly terrified of heights to climb them knowing that one wrong slip could kill them? Or did you just not care enough when it came to Kel and you had her climbing trees?"

Everyone looked at Wyldon then "The girl needed to learn to get over her fears even if she was hung out of a window she needed to learn that any fear would kill her if she did not conquer it."

Seven pairs of eyes burned into Wyldon then making him wonder what was going on in their heads.

**There were hundreds of places she might use around the castle, but they were all indoors. She needed to be outside. She was trying to think of a place when she remembered the broad, shallow Domin River, which ran through the woods. No one would be there. She could sit by the water and think in peace.**

**"Miss?" called a voice as she strode through the inner gate in the castle wall. "Where might you be going?"**

**Kel turned to face the man-at-arms who had called to her. "I don't know."**

**The man held out a small horn. "If you're not going to the village, you need one of these." He spoke carefully. The baron and his family had been home only for three months, and the people were still not sure what to make of these strange, Yamani-like nobles. "They told you the rule, surely. Any time you go outside the castle or village, you take a horn. You never know when one of them monsters, centaurs or giants or whatever, will show its face."**

**Kel frowned. The legendary creatures that had returned to their world five years before had an unnerving way of showing up when they were least expected. For every one that was harmless or willing to get on with humans, there were fistfuls that weren't. Bands of men-at-arms now roamed throughout the fiefdom, searching for hostile visitors and listening for the horn call, which meant someone was in trouble.**

**I'm not going very far, she wanted to argue, but the Yamanis had taught her to obey a soldier's commands. She accepted the horn with a quiet thank-you and slung it over one shoulder. Checking that Lord Wyldon's letter was tucked securely in the front of her shirt, she left the road that led from the castle gate and headed through their orchards. Once past the cultivated trees she entered the woods, following a trail down to the water.**

"At least the girl had some sense not to argue" stated Wyldon.

**By the time she could see a glint of silver through the trees she had worked up a mild sweat. The day was warm and the walk was longer than she had thought it would be. When a rock worked its way into her shoe, she sat on a log to get it out.**

**"It's not right," she muttered to herself, undoing the laces that held the leather around her ankle. "You're a page for four years. That's how it's been done for centuries. Now they're going to change it?" When she upended the shoe and shook it, nothing fell out. She stuffed a hand inside, feeling around for the stone. "And just because I'm a girl? They ought to treat me the same. All I want is the same chance as the boys. No more, no less. That's right, isn't it?" She winced as a sharp edge nipped one of her fingers. Working more carefully, she wiggled the bit of rock out of a fold in the leather. "Probation is not fair, and knighthood training has to be fair."**

Jonathan and Wyldon both looked at each other thinking she is right Knighthood is supposed to be fair but were we?

**The stone was out; her mind was made up. If they couldn't treat her the same as they would the boys, then she wasn't going to settle for a half portion. She would have to become a warrior some other way.**

**Kel sighed and put her shoe back on. The problem was that now she would have to wait. The Queen's Riders took volunteers when they were fifteen or older. The queen's ladies, those who were expected to ride, handle a bow, and deal with trouble at Queen Thayet's side, went to her in their fifteenth year as well. And who was to say Kel wouldn't be living in the Yamani Islands by then?**

**One thing she knew: convent school, the normal destination for noble girls her age, was not a choice. Kel had no interest whatever in ladylike arts, and even less interest in the skills needed to attract a husband or manage a castle. Even if she did, who would have her? Once she'd overheard her sisters-in-law comment that no man would be interested in a girl who was built along the lines of a cow.**

Alanna and Thayet both laughed, Neal thinking about his friend in a more than friendly way started to blush.

**She'd made the mistake of repeating that comment to her mother, when Kel's plan to be a page had first come up. Her mother had gone white with fury and had put her daughters-in-law to mending several years' worth of old linens. It had taken a great deal of persuasion for Kel to convince her mother that her quest for knighthood did not mean she wanted to settle for second best, knowing she would never marry. Getting Ilane of Mindelan to agree to her being a page had been a negotiation every bit as complicated as what her father had done to get the Yamanis to sign the treaty.**

**And see the good that did me, Kel thought with disgust. Lord Wyldon offers me second best anyway, and I won't take it. I could have saved my breath talking Mama around.**

Jonathan chuckled himself he could just see young Kel being diplomatic with her mother.

**She was ready to get to her feet when the sound of bodies crashing through the brush made her look up. Gruff voices reached her ear.**

**"Hurry up!" a boy growled from near the river. "Do you want us t' get caught?"**

**"The Cow's at home," replied a second boy's voice. "She stays there all morning."**

**Kel stood, listening. If they were on the lookout for her, then they were up to something bad. In just three months she had taught the local boys she was someone to respect. Kel grabbed a sturdy fallen branch and ran toward the voices. Racing into open ground between the trees and river, she saw three village boys. They were about to throw a wriggling cloth sack into the Domin.**

**Her mouth settled into a tight, angry line; her hazel eyes glittered. "Put that down!" she cried.**

**The boys whirled, startled, dropping their burden on a half-submerged tree limb. One of them punched the smallest in the shoulder. "Home all morning, eh?"**

**Kel shouted, "I know all of you! And you know the law in Mindelan—no killing of animals without the baron's leave!"**

Numair smiled Daine would love there he thought.

**The biggest, taller than she by half a head, advanced. The other two were right behind him. "Who's to make us stop, Cow?"**

**The Yamanis had taught her well. She waded into the boys, using her club as an equalizer. She whacked them in the belly so they couldn't breathe, and on the collarbones and biceps so they couldn't raise their arms. One youth punched her face; he caught her on the outside of one eye. She changed her grip on her branch and swept his feet from under him, then stood on one of his arms.**

Alanna looked at jon "hey that sounds semi familiar"

**Another lad grabbed a branch and swung at her; she blocked it with hers, then rammed the length of wood into his stomach. He doubled over, gasping. Kel shoved him into the third boy. Down they went in a tumble. When they untangled themselves, they ran. Their comrade also chose to make his escape.**

**Kel looked around for the sack. The current had tugged the tree limb on which it rested out into the deeper, faster water at the center of the river. She didn't hesitate, but waded into the water. Kel was a good swimmer and the river here was fairly shallow. She doubted that whatever small creatures were struggling in the sack could swim.**

**Movement on the far bank made her look up. What she saw made her halt, cold water rushing around her thighs. Something black and strange-looking walked out from under the shelter of the trees. It looked like a giant furred spider nearly five feet tall, with one difference. The thing had a human head. It stared at Kel, then grinned broadly to reveal sharp teeth.**

Everyone gasped Neal being Neal and not thinking started shouting at the book "Kel no get out of there run blow your horn and run"

Alanna just looked at Jon and Wyldon

**Her flesh crawled; hairs stood up on her arms and the back of her neck. Spidren, she thought, recognizing it from descriptions. Spidrens in our woods.**

**Like most of the legendary creatures that now prowled the human realms, they were virtually immortal, immune to disease and old age. They died only when something or someone took pains to kill them. They fed on animals and human blood. No one could get spidrens to make peace with human beings.**

**The thing reared up on its back legs, revealing a light-colored shaft at the base of its belly. From it the spidren squirted a high-flying gray stream that soared into the air over the river. **

"Move" everyone apart from Thayet yelled at the book even Wyldon was worried about the girl

**Kel threw herself to one side, away from the gray stream and the sack she was trying to catch. The stuff was like rope. She realized it was a web when it fell in a long line across the surface of the water. It had missed her by only a foot. The spidren bent and snipped the rope off from its belly spinneret with a clawed leg. Swiftly it began to wind the length of web around another clawed foot. As it dragged through the water, the sticky thing caught on the cloth sack. The spidren reeled in its catch as a fisherman might pull in a line.**

**Kel brought the horn up to her mouth. She blew five hard blasts and might have continued to blow until help came, as the spidren gathered up the sack. It discarded its web with one clawed foot, held the sack with a second, and reached into it with a third. The beast grinned, its eyes never leaving Kel, as it pulled out a wet and squirming kitten.**

**The horn fell from the girl's lips as the spidren looked the kitten over. It smacked its lips, then bit the small creature in half and began to chew.**

**Kel screamed and groped on the river bottom with both hands for ammunition. Coming up with a stone in each fist, she hurled the first. It soared past the spidren, missing by inches. Her next stone caught it square in the head. **

Alanna laughed "good shot on that one Kel".

Neal looked at Alanna "do I hear you right you are happy she id going after a spidren with just some rocks?"

Thayet looked around and asked "would you like me to continue and see what happens or would you like me to stop and not find out?"

Everyone looked at Thayet.

**It shrieked and began to climb the bluff that overlooked the river to its left, still holding the sack.**

**In the distance Kel heard the sound of horns. Help was on its way—for her, but not for those kittens. She scrabbled for more stones and plunged across the river, battling the water to get to the same shore as the monster. It continued to climb the rocky face of the bluff until it reached the summit just as Kel scrambled onto the land.**

**Once she was on solid ground, she began to climb the bluff, her soaked feet digging for purchase in soft dirt and rock. Above, the spidren leaned over the edge of the bluff to leer at her. It reached into the sack, dragged out a second kitten, and began to eat it.**

**Kel still had a rock in her right hand. She hurled it as hard as she had ever thrown a ball to knock down a target. It smashed the spidren's nose. The thing shrieked and hissed, dropping the rest of its meal.**

**Kel's foot slipped. She looked down to find a better place to set it and froze. She was only seven feet above the water, but the distance seemed more like seventy to her. A roar filled her ears and her head spun. Cold sweat trickled through her clothes. She clung to the face of the bluff with both arms and legs, sick with fear.**

**Leaving its sack on the ground, the spidren threw a loop of web around a nearby tree stump. When it was set, the creature began to lower itself over the side of the bluff. Its hate-filled eyes were locked on the girl, whose terror had frozen her in place.**

"No Kel don't stop you need to move get away from that thing" Neal all but yelled at the book

**Kel was deaf and blind to the spidren's approach. Later she could not recall hearing the monsters scream as arrows thudded into its flesh, just as she could not remember the arrival of her brother Anders and his men-at-arms.**

**With the spidren's death, its web rope snapped. The thing hurtled past Kel to splash into the river.**

**A man-at-arms climbed up to get her, gently prying her clutching fingers from their holds. Only when Kel was safely on the shore, seated on a flat rock, was she able to tell them why she had tried to kill a spidren with only stones for weapons. Someone climbed the bluff to retrieve the sack of kittens while Kel stared, shivering, at the spidren's body.**

**Her brother Anders dismounted stiffly and limped over to her. Reaching into his belt-pouch, he pulled out a handful of fresh mint leaves, crushed them in one gloved hand, and held them under Kel's nose. She breathed their fresh scent in gratefully.**

**"You're supposed to have real weapons when you go after something that's twice as big as you are," he told her mildly. "Didn't the Yamanis teach you that?" During the years most of their family had been in the Islands, Anders, Inness, and Conal, the three oldest sons of the manor, had served the crown as pages, squires, then knights. All they knew of Kel's experiences there came in their family's letters.**

**"I had to do something," Kel explained.**

Jon could not believe it she had risked her own life for that of a sack of kittens all with only stones for defence he wondered how many nobles would actually do that.

**"Calling for help and staying put would have been wiser," he pointed out. "Leave the fighting to real warriors. Here we are." A man-at-arms put the recovered sack into his hands. Anders in turn put the bag in Kel's lap.**

**Nervously she pulled the bag open. Five wet kittens, their eyes barely opened, turned their faces up to her and protested their morning's adventure. "I'll take you to our housekeeper," Kel promised them. "She knows what to do with kittens."**

**Once the animals were seen to and she had changed into a clean gown and slippers, Kel went to her father's study. With her came a small group of animals: two elderly dogs, three cats, two puppies, a kitten, and a three-legged pine marten. Kel gently moved them out of the way and closed the door before they could sneak into the room. Anders was there, leaning on a walking stick as he talked to their parents. All three adults fell silent and looked at Kel.**

Alanna and Myles both laughed "she reminds me a lot of daine" comment Myles while Numair just smiled at the thought of his love.

**"I'll do it," she said quietly. "I want the training, and the right weapons. Anders was right. It was stupid to go after a spidren with stones."**

**"And if they send you home at the end of a year?" asked Ilane of Mindelan.**

**Kel took a deep breath. "Then I'll still know more than I do now," she said firmly.**

Very smart thought Jon and Raoul

**Piers looked at his wife, who nodded. "Then we'd best pack," said Ilane, getting to her feet. "You leave the day after tomorrow." Passing Kel on her way to the door, her mother lightly touched the eye the village boy had hit. It was red, blue, and puffy—not the worst black eye Kel had ever gotten. "Let's also get a piece of raw meat to put on this," suggested the woman.**

**The next evening, Kel made her way to the stables to visit her pony, Chipper, to explain to him that the palace would supply her with a knight's mount. The pony lipped her shirt in an understanding way. He at least would be in good hands: Anders's oldest son was ready to start riding, and he loved the pony.**

**"I thought I might find you here," a voice said as Kel fed Chip an apple. She squeaked in surprise. For a man with a limp and a cane, Anders moved very quietly. "You know we'll take care of him."**

**Kel nodded and picked up a brush to groom the pony's round sides. "I know. I'll miss him all the same."**

**Anders leaned against a post. "Kel… "**

**She looked at him. Since the incident on the river the day before, she'd caught Anders watching her. She barely remembered him before their departure to the Islands, six years ago—he had already been a knight, handsome and distant in his armor, always riding somewhere. In the months since their return to Mindelan, she had come to like him. "Something the matter?" she asked.**

**Anders sighed. "Do you realize it's going to be hard? Maybe impossible? They'll make it tough. There's hazing, for one thing. I don't know when the custom started, but it's called 'earning your way.' It's just for the first-year pages. The senior ones make you run stupid little errands, like fetching gloves and picking up things that get knocked over. You have to do it. Otherwise it's the same as saying you don't have to do what the older pages did, as if you think you're better than they are. And older pages play tricks on the young ones, and some of them will pick fights. Stand up for yourself, or they'll make your life a misery."**

"If only that was all I bet none of them had their rooms broken into" Neal muttered.

Both Wyldon and Jon looked at him "what do you mean?" Jonathan asked

Neal looked up at the king "I am talking about Kel's room being broken into and destroyed by some of the other pages I am talking about…. Oh forget it you will find out soon enough.

**"In the rules they sent, fighting isn't allowed."**

**"Of course it's forbidden. If you're caught, they punish you. That's expected. What you must never do is tattle on another page, or say who you fought with. That's expected, too. Tell them you fell down—that's what I always said. Otherwise no one will trust you. A boy told when I was a page. He finally left because no one would speak to him."**

**"But they'll punish me for fighting?"**

**"With chores, extra lessons, things like that. You take every punishment, whatever it's for, and keep quiet."**

**"Like the Yamanis," she said, brushing loose hairs from Chipper's coat. "You don't talk—you obey."**

**Anders nodded. "Just do what you're told. Don't complain. If you can't do it, say that you failed, not that you can't. No one can finish every task that's given. What your teachers don't want is excuses, or blaming someone else, or saying it's unfair. They know it's unfair. Do what you can, and take your punishment in silence."**

**Kel nodded. "I can do that, I think."**

**Anders chuckled. "That's the strange thing—I believe you can. But, Kel—"**

**Kel went to Chip's far side, looking at Anders over the pony's back. "What?"**

**The young man absently rubbed his stiff leg. "Kel, all these things you learned in the Islands."**

What did she learn in those islands Wyldon wondered absently to himself

**"Yes?" she prodded when he fell silent again.**

**"You might want to keep them to yourself. Otherwise, the pages might think you believe you're better than they are. You don't want to be different, all right? At least, not any more different than you already are."**

Alanna laughed out loud at this

**"Won't they want to learn new things?" she wanted to know. "I would."**

**"Not everyone's like you, Kel. Do what they teach you, no more. You'll save yourself heartache that way."**

Neal chuckled and thought but you did teach us new things all the time kel.

**Kel smiled. "I'll try," she told him.**

**Anders straightened with a wince. "Don't be out here too long," he reminded her. "You're up before dawn."**

**Unlike normal dreams, in which time and places and people did strange things, this dream was completely true to Kel's memory. It began as she knelt before an altar and stared at the swords placed on it. The weapons were sheathed in pure gold rubbed as smooth and bright as glass. She was five years old again.**

Everyone looked at each other "we are reading her dreams?" Raoul asked Numair "how can this be put down in a book?."

Numair just shrugged "it is a book from the gods so I believe they can put anything in it."

**"They are the swords given to the children of the fire goddess, Yama," a lady-in-waiting beside Kel said, awe in her soft voice. "The short sword is the sword of law. Without it, we are only animals. The long sword is the sword of duty. It is the terrible sword, the killing sword." Her words struck a chord in Kel that left the little girl breathless. She liked the idea that duty was a killing sword. "Without duty," the lady continued, "duty to our lords, to our families, and to the law, we are less than animals."**

**Kel smelled burning wood. She looked around, curious. The large oil lamps that hung from the temple ceiling by thick cords smelled of perfume, not wood. Kel sniffed the air. She knew that fires were terrible on the Yamani Islands, where indoor walls were often paper screens and straw mats covered floors of polished wood.**

**The lady-in-waiting got to her feet.**

**The temple doors crashed open. There was Kel's mother, Ilane, her outer kimono flapping open, her thick pale hair falling out of its pins. In her hands she carried a staff capped with a broad, curved blade. Her blue-green eyes were huge in her bone-white face.**

**"Please excuse me," she told the lady-in-waiting, as calm and polite as any Yamani in danger, "but we must get out of here and find help. Pirates have attacked the cove and are within the palace."**

**There was a thunder of shod feet on polished wood floors. Swords and axes crashed through the paper screens that formed the wall behind the altar. Scanrans-men already covered in blood and grime—burst into the room, fighting their way clear of the screens and their wooden frames.**

**An arm wrapped tight around Kel's ribs, yanking her from her feet. The lady-in-waiting had scooped her up in one arm and the swords in the other. Faster than the raiders she ran to Ilane of Mindelan.**

**The lady tumbled to the ground. Kel slid out the door on her belly. Turning, too startled to cry, she saw the lady at her mother's feet. There was an arrow in the Yamani woman's back.**

**Ilane bent over the dead woman and took the swords. Hoisting them in one hand, she swung her weapon to her right and to her left. It sheared through the heavy cords that suspended five large oil lamps. They fell and shattered, spilling a flood of burning oil. It raced across the temple in the path of the raiders who were running toward them. When their feet began to burn, they halted, trying to put the fire out.**

**"Come on!" Kel's mother urged. "Hike up those skirts and run!"**

**Kel yanked her kimono up and fled with Ilane. They skidded and slipped over the polished floors in their Yamani sock-shoes, then turned down one corridor and another. Far down one passage they saw a new group of Scanrans. Kel and her mother ran around a corner. They tried another turning—it led to a dead end. They were trapped. The walls that now blocked them in on three sides were sturdy wood, too. They could have cut their way through paper ones.**

**Ilane turned. Scanrans armed with swords or axes blocked the way out.**

**Ilane thrust the gold swords into Kel's arms and pushed her into a corner, then stood before her. "Get down and be quiet!" she said, gripping her weapon in both hands. "I think I can hold them off with this."**

**Kel put the swords behind her and huddled. The men came at her mother, laughing and joking in Scanran. She peeked around the edge of her mother's kimono. At that moment Ilane swung the bladed staff—glaive, Kel remembered as it swung, they called it a glaive—in a wide side cut, slicing one pirate across the chest. Whipping it back to her left, she caught another of them in the throat. Blood struck Kel's face; even dreaming, she could smell it. Breathless, the sheathed swords poking into her back, she watched her mother lunge and retreat, using her skill and her longer weapon to hold the enemy off. Ilane killed a third and a fourth attacker before a squad of guardsmen raced around the corner to finish the rest.**

Gods thought Jonathan to himself five years old and watching that I bet it gave her nightmares

**When the pirates were dead, Kel's mother turned and reached a hand down to her. "Let's go find your father," she said quietly.**

**Kel grasped the hand, and let her mother pull her to her feet. Then Kel gathered up the golden swords that had been trusted to them.**

**When they faced their rescuers, the guards knelt as one. They bowed low to the woman and the girl, touching their heads to the bloody floor.**

**Kel woke, breathing fast, her eyes shining. Her heart raced; she trembled all over. The dream was not scary; it was exciting. She loved it. She loved that it had all been real.**

"Exciting?" Wyldon asked looking around the room. Everyone looked just as shocked as he himself was.

**I want to be like that, she told herself as she always did. I want to protect people. And I will. I will. I'll be a hero one day, just like Mama. Just like the Lioness.**

**Nobody will kill two kittens in front of me then.**

Thayet looked up "that's the end of the chapter. Who would like to read next?"

Numair took the book and looked at it "I believe I shall. There power in this book did you know that?"

****_Please review and if anyone wants to leave ideas for ways to make this story better then please do I am always welcome it. Also if anyone is good with doing this part I would love the help I am getting stuck on this part of the story._


	3. Chapter 3 Kel and the gods

_**Now as you may or may not have guessed the two timelines will be out of order I think as I really can't see Jonathan and the gang being stuck in the office for about 9 years lol.**_

_**So on with the story this chapter is about Kel.**_

_**Previously…  
>Kel, unaware of what was about to befall her in her new life, knew that she could not return to Mindelan as her parents would just send her to the convent which, as far as she was concerned, was not going to happen while she was alive.<strong>_

_**As the young girl and horse slowly made the way from Corus to Port Caynn, the goddess turned her eyes and focus back to Corus where she would show those who were supposed to show chivalry and honesty what they have now done with their future.**_

Kel pat Peachblossom's neck as she looked at the sky. She noticed that night was falling fast she decided to stop and make camp.

Looking for a place to stop, she noticed an old willow that would be big enough to shelter both her and Peachblossom should it rain. She stopped.

As Kel set up camp that night, she had to decide what she wanted to do. She knew if she went home, her parents would most likely send her to the convent and if she went back to the Yamani islands, they would know she had failed and she did not want to be known as a failure.

"Peachblossom, what am I going to do? I can't just do nothing! I still want to be a warrior and a fighter and help people. I am going to make the stump regret ever making me leave."

As Kel sat under the willow she heard a noise. Looking around, she saw a kitten coming towards her. As she looked at the kitten, she realized that this kitten was once owned by Alanna when she was a squire. She could barely recall the name but her memory was able to forge up the name: Faithful.

"Young Keladry, sitting here will not help you to achieve your goals and I cannot stay with you, although Yama has asked me to help you to get back on the correct path you must take," Faithful meowed urgently.

Kel smiled at the kitten. "I never believed the stories of how you spoke to Lady Alanna, Faithful." 

The kitten looked at Kel and purred.

As Kel settled down for the night she began to wonder where her path would take her, drifting off to sleep she felt the kitten curl up with her and smiled.  
>As Kel fell asleep, dreams came to her, though she did not want them.<p>

_Kel was walking through the forest when she saw three paths in front of her. One was blocked and as she looked down it, she saw her friends carrying on with page training._

_Looking down the middle path, she saw herself and others training in what looked to be Shang fighting. But they never take older students, she thought.  
><em> 

_And down the last path she saw herself in a beautiful flowing gown standing before an altar with Joren of Stone Mountain, accompanied with a life of living on a fief and never being rid of the beatings he would give her._

_Just then, three people and the kitten appeared beside her. Kel looked at them and a woman of great beauty with raven colored hair and the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. She also saw a man carrying a golden shield and sword, and the third was another black haired beautiful woman with dark brown eyes and tanned skin._

_Kel suddenly gasped and knelt before the three gods standing before her: the Great Mother Goddess, Mithros and the Goddess Yama._

_Mithros stepped forward and reached his hand out as he calmly said, "Stand, our daughter, you have a very important choice to make for whichever path you choose, you will have great obstacles and difficulties, but also great rewards."_

_Kel stood by Mithros and looked at the three gods "If you don't mind me asking, why am I here? I don't have the gift and I am no one special."_

_Yama laughed at this "Keladry, you were chosen for many reasons, reasons like your compassion for all humans and animals, Noble or commoner. Your willingness to defend and protect all. Your selflessness, the way that you will do anything for others and never help yourself."_

_"Come for a walk with me young Keladry", Mithros stated as he took Kel's arm and started to walk her down the path of the Shang warriors._

_"If you follow this path, daughter, your dreams of being a warrior and helping to defend those weaker than you will come to pass. In this, we wish you well as you will have many troubles should you follow this path, but also you may have many great joys."_

_Kel watched the scenes around her change. Her training with many different Shang became her ordeal of Shang to her naming though she could not see what she was to become. The trials of lovers and faithlessness of males._

_Scenes of finding true love at the end and of children of her own running around before her. She could not see the man clearly but knew that she would love him._

_She saw metal machines killing people savagely. She saw her fighting a man and killing him, the Yamani Islands going to war with Tortall over the disrespect done to her, and much more she could not even comprehend._

_Mithros and Yama both looked at her. "Kel, when you came to my Islands I knew you would one day be a Legend. I was hoping for a legend from my Islands but that was not the way it was to be. You, our daughter, have the choice now. Live the hard life of a warrior and save many countries from war and total ruin or you may take the other path. Yama looked at her._

_The Great Mother Goddess stepped forward. Smiling, she quietly said "Come, my daughter, let me show you the path of a Noble woman that you can take." Kel and The three gods slowly walked down the second path where she watched herself go to the convent and become a lady, leave the convent and return to court and find a husband._

_She watched as she was married to Joren, and she watched years of him beating her and forcing her to his bed whenever he wanted._

_The Goddess showed scenes of children running around and laughing at a young age. But they got older, turning from their mother and treating her as their father did. Then there were images of the loss of the war with the Yamani Islands and Scanra, of her friends being killed by the monsters of her children becoming slaves for the Scanrans and of herself being taken away to the Yamani islands where she was again married but to a kinder man and one who she ended up loving and having children who would love her too._

_At the end of the path, the three gods looked at Kel. Mithros, being the one who apparently was very fond of young Kel, smiled and asked, "Daughter you have been shown, now, where your paths may lead but you need to choose, do you choose to be a warrior and help those in need or shall you become a lady and do nothing with your life?"_

_As the three gods looked at her, Kel looked at the two paths again and gave a smile to Mithros, the great mother goddess and Yama. She replied, "I could never be a Noble lady. I will walk the path of a warrior so that I may help and protect those who need it."_

_All three gods smiled, suddenly Kel felt a burning sensation on her arms she looked down to see a tattoo appear on her arms of birds trailing flames behind them, carrying two crossed glaive's,_

_Suddenly her weapons appeared in front of her. Yama took her Glaive and smiled, weighing it. Suddenly it glowed a brilliant blue "Always carry this Glaive, daughter of mine, and it shall never let you down. Know that this glaive will never break and it always stay sharp." Yama smiled, handed her the glaive, kissed her on the forehead and left._

_Mithros took her sword and it suddenly glowed a bright golden color. When that faded, Mithros handed her back her sword. "Take your sword, daughter, blessed by me. Know this sword will never break unless dealt a blow by another god blessed blade and it shall always be sharp. In times of trouble, place your faith in the sword."_

_Mithros then stepped forward and handed her sword to her. He lent forward and kissed her on her right check and she felt a jolt of power. "May you follow the path of a warrior, my daughter, and, always remember that I will be here, guiding you in times of need." With that, Mithros stepped back and left._

_Lastly, the great mother goddess stepped forward. "I do not give you weapons, my daughter, but I do give you a token to help you." The great mother put a beautiful red stone on a golden chain around her neck "This is a sun stone. It came from the sun you see shinning in your world. It will burn hot if someone is a foe to you, it will help you speak to peaceable Immortals as you will need them in times of trouble."_

_Kel looked at the great mother goddess "Is it like the token you gave Lady Alanna?"_

_"In a ways yes it is but this is made just for you. Now, daughter, our time is nearly up. When you awaken two people will be near you. Do not attack them but tell them 'I am Keladry and the Gods have sent me to you so that I may train by your hand' I am off to let them know of you and what they must do for you. Know I am also here, helping to guide you through your path."_

_The great mother goddess lent forward and kissed her left cheek, looking at the kitten at Kel's feet. She smiled. "Well, small one. It looks as if you have another to help guide. Look after her well and when you see Alanna, please be nice to her. She still grieves for you."_

_With that, the Great Mother Goddess left Kel as she started to drift away from the dream and back to wakefulness, The clearing slowly became foggy and then _

Kel slept for a few more hours. When she awoke, she heard voices reminding her of her dream. She got up with Faithful beside her and walked towards the man and the woman. She looked at them and calmly said "I am Keladry and the Gods have sent me to you so that I may train by your hand'

The two people looked at the girl remembering their own dreams of the great gods talking to them. They looked the girl over.

Smiling, one got up and walked to her. "I am Cassandila the Shang Griffin." Kel looked at the Griffin noticing the waist length golden hair, muscled frame and golden eyes like that of the griffin who she was named after.

The one still sitting looked up. "I am Matthias the Shang wolf" looking the Shang wolf over, she noticed he had short brown hair and odd grey eyes.  
>A lean wiry form that many would not believe belonged to a man of strength and cunning.<p>

Kel looked to the two Shang warriors and quietly asked, "Would you please train me?" And with that she told them about wanting to become a knight and about how Wyldon would not let her.

The two Shang looked at each other "Well we were expected at the palace but I believe we shall travel with our student instead. What do you think Matthias?" asked Cassandila.

Matthias smiled. "You train her, Cass, and I shall go and see what is happening at the palace. I shall be our eyes and ears in the palace."

With that settled, Matthias turned to Kel "I will leave you here but I shall see you soon, child. Good luck and may all gods bless." With that, the Shang wolf left for the capital while Kel and the Shang Griffin got to know each other better.

I want to say a big thanks to

MageNellofGalla for being a wonderful help and being nice enough to check this over lol and for your help with bits the needed change and new ideas.

I suggest reading Illusions by this wonderful writer.

TamariChan for the review and the offer of being a beta you never know I may just take you up on the offer lol

Natalucien thank you also for the review

Silverlilyann thank you for you review

Riri91 also thank you for the review.

Also there is a poll up for who you all think Kel should end up with in the end.

Please review and any ideas are welcome.


	4. Chapter 4 Reading chapter 2 of POTS

_**A/N**__ Well girls and boys, here is the next chapter, please remember to vote on who you want Kel to end up with. So far it is 3 for Roald and 1 for Neal will take the poll down nearer to the time of writing who she really starts to think about so you all have plenty of time to vote. Also if you want to join, the adventures send me either a review or P.M, with the name you want and what you would like your Shang name to be. Also any descriptions you would like, or even if you can think up some._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 2: Not so Welcome<em>

Numair looked at the book in front of him noting that it radiated with god's power. He wondered just what a young girl could have done to make the gods so furious for them to forbid her to become a knight)

**Wyldon of Cavall nodded to Baron Piers, but his eyes were on Kel. He looked her over from top to toe, taking in every wrinkle and spot in her tunic and breeches and the fading bruise around her eye.**

**Kel met his gaze squarely. The training master was handsome; for all that he was completely bald on top. He wore what was left of his light brown hair cropped very short. A scar—so red and puffy, it had to be recent—ran from the corner of his eye across his right temple to dig a track through his hair to his ear. His right arm rested in a sling. His eyes were brown, his mouth wide; his chin was square with a hint of a cleft in it. His big hands were marked with scars. He dressed simply, in a pale blue tunic, a white shirt, and dark blue hose. She couldn't see his feet behind the big desk, but she suspected that his shoes were as sensible as the rest of him.**

"Oh gods no, Kel don't go getting a crush on the stum.. I mean Lord Wyldon," Neal suddenly burst out.

Jon and Alanna both looked at him. Alanna, being wise decided to finally gag him so that there were no more out bursts from him.

**Even the Yamanis would say he's got too much stone in him, she thought, looking at the scuffed toes of her boots. He needs water to balance his nature. Peering through her lashes at the training master, she added, Lots of water. A century or two of it, maybe.**

Alanna and Raoul both laughed at this. Wyldon, on the other hand, was thanking the gods that the chit had left. Otherwise, he might've just had to force her to run a few more laps around the palace wall for insubordination.

**Wyldon drummed his fingers on his desktop. At last he smiled tightly. "Be seated, please, both of you."**

**Kel and her father obeyed.**

**Wyldon took his own seat. "Well. Keladry, is it?" She nodded. "You understand that you are here on sufferance. You have a year in which to prove that you can keep up with the boys. If you do not satisfy me on that count, you will go home."**

**He's never said that to any boy, Kel thought, glad that her face would not show her resentment. He shouldn't be saying it to me. She kept her voice polite as she answered, "Yes, my lord."**

Alanna looked at Jon. "So your highness, has he ever said that to any boy?"

Jon looked away, starting to feel a bit guilty for the way Keladry had been treated.

**"You will get no special privileges or treatment, despite your sex." Wyldon's eyes were stony. "I will not tolerate flirtations. If there is a boy in your room, the door must be open. The same is true if you are in a boy's room. Should you disobey, you will be sent home immediately."**

**Kel met his eyes. "Yes, sir." She was talkative enough with her family, but not with outsiders. The chill that rose from Wyldon made her even quieter.**

**Piers shifted in his seat. "My daughter is only ten, Lord Wyldon. She's a bit young for that kind of thing."**

**"My experience with females is that they begin early," the training master said flatly.**

"GIRLS START YOUNG!" Alanna screamed at Wyldon. "You think that because she's a girl she would start young!More like the older boys would do something like that. Not the other way around, by the Goddess I didn't think of anything like that till I was a squire."

Wyldon looked at Alanna. "You think girls don't start just as young as boys _SIR_ Alanna?"

Jon's eyes darted between his Champion and the Training Master. "Both of you shut up and let Numair read, that's an order"

**He ran a blunt-tipped finger down a piece of paper.**

**"It says here that you claim no magical Gift," stated Lord Wyldon. "Is that so?"**

**Kel nodded.**

**Lord Wyldon put down the paper and leaned forward, clasping his hands on his neatly ordered desk. "In your father's day, the royal household always dined in the banquet hall. Now our royal family dines privately for the most part. On great holidays and on special occasions, feasts are held with the sovereigns, nobles, and guests in attendance. The pages are required to serve at such banquets. Also, you are required to run errands for any lord or lady who asks.**

**"Has she a servant with her?" he asked Kel's father.**

**"No," Piers replied.**

**"Very well. Palace staff will tend her rooms. Have you any questions?" Wyldon asked Kel.**

**Yes, she wanted to say. Why won't you treat me like you treat the boys? Why can't you be fair?**

Jonathan was startled at this. 'She knew we weren't being fair and yet she came anyway' he thought to himself. He wondered just how this would play out. By the looks of it, this was only her first year so four books would make the rest of her page years, her squirehood and knighthood. Leaving those thoughts for later, Jon looked back to Numair as he continued to read.

**She kept it to herself. Growing up in a diplomat's house, she had learned how to read people. A good look at Wyldon's square, stubborn face with its hard jaw had told Kel that words would mean nothing to this man. She would have to prove to him that she was as good as any boy. And she would.**

Wyldon was startled at this 'as good as any boy, Mithros! She was better' he thought. But he refused to say it out loud and let anyone know he half-heartedly regretted letting the girl go. Alanna would have a field day with that.

**"No questions, my lord," she told him quietly.**

**"There is a chamber across the hall for your farewells," Wyldon told Piers. "Salma will come for Keladry and guide her to her assigned room. No doubt her baggage already is there." He looked at Kel. "Unpack your things neatly. When the supper bell rings, stand in the hall with the new boys. Sponsors—older pages who show the new ones how things are done—must be chosen before we go down to the mess."**

**After Kel said goodbye to her father, she found Salma waiting for her in the hall. The woman was short and thin, with frizzy brown hair and large, dark eyes. She wore the palace uniform for women servants, a dark skirt and a white blouse. A large ring laden with keys hung from her belt. As she took Kel to her new room, Salma asked if Kel had brought a personal servant.**

**When the girl replied that she hadn't, Salma told her, "In that case, I'll assign a servant to you. We bring you hot water for washup and get your fire going in the morning. We also do your laundry and mending, make beds, sweep, and so on. And if you play any tricks on the servants, you'll do your laundry and bed-making for the rest of the year. It's not our job to look after weapons, equipment, or armor, mind. That's what you're here to learn."**

**She briskly led the way through one long hall as she talked. Now they passed a row of doors. Each bore a piece of slate with a name written in chalk. "That's my room," Salma explained, pointing. "The ground floor here is the pages' wing. Squires are the next floor up. If you need supplies, or special cleaning and sewing, or if you are ill, come to me."**

**Kel looked at her curiously. "My brothers didn't mention you."**

**"Timon Greendale, our headman, reorganized service here six years ago," Salma replied. "I was brought in five years back—just in time to meet your brother Conal. Don't worry. I won't hold it against you."**

**Kel smiled wryly. Conal had that effect on people.**

Everyone in the room remembered Kel's brothers –that is, everyone except Neal. Neal merely remembered stories of Anders, Conal and Inness. All were good hard working men and Ander's injuries still upset many in the room as he was a great knight.

**Salma halted in front of the last door in the hall. There was no name written on the slate. "This is your room," she remarked. "I told the men to put your things here." She brushed the slate with her fingertips. "Your name has been washed off. I have to get my chalk. You may as well unpack."**

**"Thank you," Kel said.**

**"No need to thank me" was Salma's calm reply. "I do what they pay me to." She hesitated, then added, "If you need anything, even if it's just a sympathetic ear, tell me." She rested a warm hand on Kel's shoulder for a moment, then walked away.**

**Entering her room, Kel shut the door. When she turned, a gasp escaped before she locked her lips.**

**She surveyed the damage. The narrow bed was overturned. Mattress, sheets, and blankets were strewn everywhere. The drapes lay on the floor and the shutters hung open. Two chairs, a bookcase, a pair of night tables, and an oak clothespress were also upended. The desk must have been too heavy for such treatment, but its drawers had been dumped onto the floor. Her packs were opened and their contents tumbled out. Someone had used her practice glaive to slash and pull down the wall hangings. On the plaster wall she saw written: No Girls! Go Home! You Won't Last!**

"And you let this happen?" Alanna turned on Wyldon, glaring at him. She was currently plotting ways to make his life a living nightmare.  
>"She never told me, Enlighten me Alanna. Tell me what I could've done? Answer me that." Wyldon never knew about her room being trashed. Why hadn't she said anything?<p>

**Kel took deep breaths until the storm of hurt and anger that filled her was under control. Once that was done, she began to clean up. The first thing she checked was the small wooden box containing her collection of Yamani porcelain lucky cats. She had a dozen or so, each a different size and color, each sitting with one paw upraised. The box itself was dented on one corner, but its contents were safe. Her mother had packed each cat in a handkerchief to keep it from breaking.**

**That's something, at least, Kel thought. But what about next time? Maybe she ought to ship them home.**

"She should have sent them home" Jonathan spoke up "Anything breakable she should have sent straight back home, she should never have brought them in the first place."

Suddenly the chair that Neal was sitting on fell over. While he thrashed, muffled sounds could be heard coming from him.

Jon looked at Alanna and laughed. "Thank the gods you have him silenced."

Alanna and Wyldon both snorted at the same time making both glare at each other.

**As she gathered up her clothes, she heard a knock. She opened her door a crack. It was Salma. The minute the woman saw her face, she knew something was wrong. "Open," she commanded.**

**Kel let her in and shut the door.**

**"You were warned this kind of thing might happen?" Salma asked finally.**

**Kel nodded. "I'm cleaning up."**

**"I told you, it's your job to perform a warrior's tasks. We do this kind of work," Salma replied. "Leave this to me. By the time you come back from supper it will be as good as new. Are you going to change clothes?"**

**Kel nodded.**

**"Why don't you do that? It's nearly time for you to wait outside. I'll need your key once you're done in here."**

**Kel scooped up the things she needed and walked into the next room. Small and bare, it served as a dressing room and bathroom. The privy was behind a door set in the wall. There was little in here to destroy, but the mirror and the privy seat were soaped.**

**Kel shut the door. Before she had seen her room, she had planned to wear tunic and breeches as she had for the journey. She'd thought that if she was to train as a boy, she ought to dress like one. They were also more comfortable. Now she felt differently. She was a girl; she had nothing to be ashamed of, and they had better learn that first thing. The best way to remind them was to dress at least part of the time as a girl.**

"Oh she'd done that all right, those blasted dresses at dinner every night. I swear some of the boys were trying to think of ways to get her into bed. Taking their minds off of their training,"  
>Wyldon blurt out.<p>

Alanna laughed, Jon looked and Raoul just smiled like he knew all.

**Stripping off her travel-stained clothes, she pulled on a yellow linen shift and topped it with her second-best dress, a fawn-brown cotton that looked well against the yellow. She removed her boots and put on white stockings and brown leather slippers.**

**Cleaning the mirror, she looked at herself. The gown was creased from being packed, but that could not be helped. She still had a black eye. There was nothing she could do with her mouse-brown hair: she'd had it cropped to her earlobes before she'd left home. Next trip to market, maybe I'll get some ribbons, she thought grimly, running a comb through her hair. Some nice, bright ribbons.**

**She grinned at her own folly. Hadn't she learned by now that the first thing a boy grabbed in a fight was hair? She'd lose chunks of it or get half choked if she wore ornaments and ribbons.**

_Smart_, thought Alanna. _At least she knew to be careful with her hair around fighting._

**"Time," Salma called.**

**If she thought anything of the change in Kel's appearance, she kept it to herself. Instead she pointed to yet another piece of writing: Girls Can't Fight! Salma's mouth twisted wryly. "What do they think their mothers do, when the lords are at war and a raiding party strikes? Stay in their solars and tat lace?"**

**That made Kel smile. "My aunt lit barrels of lard and had them catapulted onto Scanran ships this summer."**

Wyldon, Raoul and Jonathan all sat up a bit straighter at this. Alanna looked at them and laughed. "What? You honestly thought ladies do nothing if they're attacked and there's no _hero_to save them?"

All three had the sense to look ashamed.

**"As would any delicately reared noblewoman." Salma opened the door. Once they had walked into the hall, she took the key from Kel and went about her business, nodding to the boys as they emerged from their rooms.**

**Kel stood in front of her door and clasped her hands so no one could see they shook. Suddenly she wanted to turn tail and run until she reached home.**

"She should have," was all Wyldon said.  
>Numair looked at them all. "If you continue to interrupt my reading I shall silence you all, like young Neal here."<br>A chorus of 'sorry's followed that statement.

**Wyldon was coming down the hall. Boys joined him as he passed, talking quietly. One of them was a boy with white-blond hair and blue eyes, set in a face as rosy-cheeked as a girl's. Kel, seeing the crispness of his movements and a stubbornness around his mouth, guessed that anybody silly enough to mistake that one for a girl would be quickly taught his mistake. A big, cheerful-looking redheaded boy walked on Wyldon's left, joking with a very tall, lanky youth.**

**A step behind the blond page and Wyldon came a tall boy who walked with a lion's arrogance. He was brown-skinned and black-eyed, his nose proudly arched. A Bazhir tribesman from the southern desert,**

Everyone in the room wondered why one of the ones picked out of the whole group to be described was a Bazhir. While there were many others in that group and why this one Bazhir as was more than in the page years.

**Kel guessed. She noticed several other Bazhir among the pages, but none looked as kingly as this one.**

**When the training master halted, there were only five people left in front of doors on both sides of him: four boys and Kel. Her next-door neighbour, a brown-haired boy liberally sprinkled with freckles, bowed to Wyldon. Kel and the others did the same; then Kel wondered if she ought to have curtsied. She let it go. To do so now, after bowing, would just make her look silly.**

Raoul and Alanna laughed at this. Both were imaging the girl doing both and ending up falling.

**Wyldon looked at each of them in turn, his eyes resting the longest on Kel. "Don't think you'll have an easy time this year. You will work hard. You'll work when you're tired, when you're ill, and when you think you can't possibly work anymore. You have one more day to laze. Your sponsor will show you around this palace and collect those things which the crown supplies to you. The day after that, we begin."**

**"You." He pointed to a boy with the reddest, straightest hair Kel had ever seen. "Your name and the holding of your family."**

**The boy stammered, "Merric, sir—my lord. Merric of Hollyrose." He had pale blue eyes and a long, broad nose; his skin had only the barest summer tan.**

**The training master looked at the pages around him. "Which of you older pages will sponsor Merric and teach him our ways?"**

**"Please, Lord Wyldon?" Kel wasn't able to see the owner of the voice in the knot of boys who stood at Wyldon's back. "We're kinsmen, Merric and I."**

Alanna, Raoul and Jon all thought back to their days of being new pages and waiting for page sponsors. Back then, it was a scary thing to stand there with all the older boys sitting there looking at you like you were nothing.

Alanna had her own personal demons from that day thinking back about Ralon.

**"And kinsmen should stick together. Well said, Faleron of King's Reach." A handsome, dark-haired boy came to stand with Merric, smiling at the redhead. Wyldon pointed to the freckled lad, Esmond of Nicoline, who was taken into the charge of Cleon of Kennan, the big redhead. Blond, impish Quinden of Marti's Hill was sponsored by the regal-looking Bazhir, Zahir ibn Alhaz. The next pairing was the most notable: Crown Prince Roald, the twelve-year-old heir to the throne, chose to show Seaver of Tasride around. Seaver, whose dark complexion and coal-black eyes and hair suggested Bazhir ancestors, stared at Roald nervously, but relaxed when the prince rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.**

"Well at least he sponsored someone, I suppose. I wish he would have been like his father and sponsored Kel. But then again, he does have the gift so I suppose he would have then been accused of helping by magicking her into her shield," Alanna grumbled not caring about Numair's threat.

**Only Kel remained. Wyldon demanded, "Your name and your fief?"**

**She gulped. "Keladry of Mindelan."**

**"Who will sponsor her?" asked Wyldon.**

**The handsome Zahir looked at her and sniffed. "Girls have no business in the affairs of men. This one should go home." He glared at Kel, who met his eyes calmly.**

**Lord Wyldon shook his head. "We are not among the Bazhir tribes, Zahir ibn Alhaz. Moreover, I requested a sponsor, not an opinion." He looked at the other boys. "Will no one offer?" he asked. "No beginner may go unsponsored."**

**The blond youth at Wyldon's side raised a hand. "May I, my lord?" he asked.**

**Lord Wyldon stared at him. "You, Joren of Stone Mountain?"**

Neal really started to thrash at this point. Thayet and Myles who had kept quiet to this point both looked at Alanna, Thayet being Thayet looked more sharply at Alanna. "Alanna let the boy out of your magic right now!"

Alanna knew this wasn't a request but more of a royal command. Sighing, she let him free.  
>Neal smiled at the queen and offered her a player's bow from his seat "Thank you your majesty."<p>

Numair cleared his throat "Can I continue yet or are you going to continue blathering on all day and never let us get out of here I would like to see Daine sometime soon."

Everyone quickly shut up then and tuned back to Numair to watch as he started to read again.

**The youth bowed. "I would be pleased to teach the girl all she needs to know of life in the pages' wing."**

**Kel eyed him, suspicious. From the way a few older pages giggled, she suspected Joren might plan to chase her away, not show her around. She looked at the training master, expecting him to agree with the blond page.**

**Instead Lord Wyldon frowned. "I had hoped for another sponsor," he commented stiffly. "You should employ your spare hours in the improvement of your classwork and your riding skills."**

**"I thought Joren hated—" someone whispered.**

**"Shut up!" another boy hissed.**

**Kel looked at the flagstones under her feet. Now she was fighting to hide her embarrassment, but she knew she was failing. Any Yamani would see her shame on her features. She clasped her hands before her and schooled her features to smoothness. I'm a rock, she thought. I am stone.**

Neal smirked. 'That damn mask she always wore, now I know how she'd done it.' Was what Neal was thinking.

Wyldon was trying to still figure out why Joren ever wanted to sponsor the girl in the first place. Everyone knew he never thought she could fight**.**

**"I believe I can perfect my studies and sponsor the girl," Joren said respectfully. "And since I am the only volunteer—"**

**"I suppose I'm being rash and peculiar, again," someone remarked in a drawling voice, "but if it means helping my friend Joren improve his studies, well, I'll just have to sacrifice myself. There's nothing I won't do to further the cause of book learning among my peers."**

**Everyone turned toward the speaker, who stood at the back of the group. Seeing him clearly, Kel thought that he was too old to be a page. He was tall, fair-skinned, and lean, with emerald eyes and light brown hair that swept back from a widow's peak.**

"Look! She described me! Hey, I wonder if it says I am handsome in any of these" Neal practically shouted over Numair with happiness at being in the book.

**Lord Wyldon absently rubbed the arm he kept tucked in a sling. "You volunteer, Nealan of Queenscove?"**

**The youth bowed jerkily. "That I do, your worship, sir." There was the barest hint of a taunt in Nealan's educated voice.**

**"A sponsor should be a page in his second year at least," Wyldon informed Nealan. "And you will mind your tongue."**

**"I know I only joined this little band in April, your lordship," the youth Nealan remarked cheerily, "but I have lived at court almost all of my fifteen years. I know the palace and its ways. And unlike Joren, I need not worry about my academics."**

**Kel stared at the youth. Had he always been mad, or did a few months under Wyldon do this to him? She had just arrived, and she knew better than to bait the training master.**

Thayet could not hide a small chuckle at this. Jon, Raoul, Myles and Alanna all had huge grins on their faces. Wyldon looked at Neal "I still should have given you a longer punishment and you never did show her the right way to behave. Look at all the fights she got into."

Neal looked at him then said, "Well my LORD if this book is in truth Kel's year here, then you will find out why she got in so many fights, then we shall see how wonderful your precious Joren really is." With that Neal turned his face from everyone and planned to keep his mouth shut and watch as the many things that the king and training master did not know come to light.

**Wyldon's eyebrows snapped together. "You have been told to mind your manners, Page Nealan. I will have an apology for your insolence."**

**Nealan bowed deeply. "An apology for general insolence, your lordship, or some particular offense?"**

**"One week scrubbing pots," ordered Lord Wyldon. "Be silent."**

**Nealan threw out an arm like a player making a dramatic statement. "How can I be silent and yet apologize?"**

**"Two weeks." Keladry was forgotten as Wyldon concentrated on the green-eyed youth. "The first duty for anyone in service to the crown is obedience."**

**"And I am a terrible obeyer," retorted Nealan. "All these inconvenient arguments spring to my mind, and I just have to make them."**

**"Three," Wyldon said tightly.**

**"Neal, shut it!" someone whispered.**

Myles laughed at this, thinking of all the debates Neal started in his class. He could just see Young Neal debating with Wyldon in the hall way.

**"I could learn—" Kel squeaked. No one heard. She cleared her throat and repeated, "I can learn it on my own."**

**The boys turned to stare. Wyldon glanced at her. "What did you say?"**

**"I'll find my way on my own," Kel repeated. "Nobody has to show me. I'll probably learn better, poking around." She knew that wasn't the case—her father had once referred to the palace as a "miserable rat-warren"—but she couldn't let this mad boy get himself deeper into trouble on her account.**

**Nealan stared at her, winged brows raised.**

**"When I require your opinion," began Wyldon, his dark eyes snapping.**

**"It's no trouble," Nealan interrupted. "None at all, Demoiselle Keladry. My lord, I apologize for my wicked tongue and dreadful manners. I shall do my best not to encourage her to follow my example."**

**Wyldon, about to speak, seemed to think better of what he meant to say. He waited a moment, then said, "You are her sponsor, then. Now. Enough time has been wasted on foolishness. Supper."**

**He strode off, pages following like ducklings in their mother's wake. When the hall cleared, only Nealan and Keladry were left.**

Suddenly, there was a racket outside the barrier to the room. Jonathan got up to look. He could see George, Alanna's husband, Daine the wildmage and also Numair's sweetheart, her dragon Skysong, also known as Kitten, and Buri, his wife's old body guard and commander of the Queens riders outside trying to get in.

Kitten was trying the hardest yet she still could not get passed, the young dragon was becoming a very bright red.

As if summoned, which she most likely was, Jonathan thought the Great mother goddess arrived.

Looking at the young, dragon the great mother goddess smiled and the next thing, kitten was clawing at her muzzle.

"Young one's should not be heard young Skysong, would you like me to inform your family in the Divine realms that Veralidaine is not raising you correctly?"

"Great Mother Goddess, could you please tell us why they are locked in the kings' library?" Daine asked the Goddess politely.

"They are locked in there to see the wrongs they have made to doom this country."

Looking over the three mortals and young dragon in front of her, the goddess seemed to make a decision. Suddenly, Buri, George, Daine and Kitten were in the King's Library instead of the hall way.

"Now, maybe you should get back to reading those books as I do have important things to be doing. I will check back on all of you soon." With that, the goddess disappeared.

George looked around "Having a meeting, are we?"  
>Alanna looked at her husband, sighed and shook her head. "No laddybuck, we are reading Kel's life from the day she started training until Mithros knows when. There are four books to be read, we are into the second chapter of the first book and it's talking about how the start of her probationary year has started."<p>

Numair looked around. "Well, take a seat and shut up already so I can continue."

Everyone sat and looked at Numair.

**Nealan stared at the girl, his slanting eyes taking her in. Seeing him up close at last, Kel noticed that he had a willful face, with high cheekbones and arched brows. "Believe me, you wouldn't have liked Joren as a sponsor," Nealan informed her. "He'd drive you out in a week. With me at least you might last a while, even if I am at the bottom of Lord Wyldon's list. Come on." He strode off.**

**Kel stayed where she was. Halfway down the hall, Nealan realized she was not behind him. When he turned and saw her still in front of her room, he sighed gustily, and beckoned. Kel remained where she was.**

**Finally he stomped back to her. "What part of 'come on' was unclear, page?"**

**"Why do you care if I last a week or longer?" she demanded. "Queenscove is a ducal house. Mindelan's just a barony, and a new one at that. Nobody cares about Mindelan. We aren't related, and our fathers aren't friends. So who am I to you?"**

**Nealan stared at her. "Direct little thing, aren't you?"**

Buri laughed. "She _is_ direct isn't she?"

**Kel crossed her arms over her chest and waited. The talkative boy didn't seem to have much patience. He would wear out before she did in a waiting contest.**

**Nealan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look—you heard me say I've lived at court almost all my life, right?"**

**Kel nodded.**

**"Well, think about that. I've lived at court and my father's the chief of the realm's healers. I've spent time with the queen and quite a few of the Queen's Riders and the King's Champion. I've watched Lady Alanna fight for the crown. I saw her majesty and some of her ladies fight in the Immortals War. I know women can be warriors. If that's the life you want, then you ought to have the same chance to get it as anyone else who's here." He stopped, then shook his head with a rueful smile. "I keep forgetting I'm not in a university debate. Sorry about the speech. Can we go eat now?"**

Thayet looked at Neal and smiled. "Thank you, page Nealan. That was very nice of you to think that of us."

Neal laughed. "But it is true."

Numair just shook his head and continued to read.

**Kel nodded again. This time, when he strode off down the hall, she trotted to keep up with him.**

**When they passed through an intersection of halls, Nealan pointed. "Note that stairwell. Don't let anyone tell you it's a shortcut to the mess or the classrooms. It heads straight down and ends on the lower levels, underground."**

**"Yessir."**

**"Don't call me sir."**

**"Yessir."**

**Nealan halted. "Was that meant to be funny?"**

**"Nossir," Kel replied, happy to stop and catch her breath. Nealan walked as he spoke, briskly.**

Everyone laughed at this –Numair and Wyldon included. Buri, who had met, heard about the young girl and liked her, jumped up and grabbed a pen and paper off Jonathan's desk. On it, she drew a line down the middle. At the top, she put those who were good and deserved politeness and those that need a good beating in the training grounds.

**Nealan threw up his hands and resumed his course. Finally they entered a room filled with noise. To Kel it seemed as if every boy in the world was here, yelling and jostling around rows of long tables and benches. She came to a halt, but Nealan beckoned her to follow. He led her to stacks of trays, plates, napkins, and cutlery, grabbing what he needed. Copying him, Kel soon had a bowl of a soup thick with leeks and barley, big slices of ham, a crusty roll still hot from the oven, and saffron rice studded with raisins and almonds. She had noticed pitchers of liquids, bowls of fruit, honey pots, and platters of cheese were already on the tables.**

**As they stopped, looking for a place to sit, the racket faded. Eyes turned their way. Within seconds she could hear the whispers. "Look."**

**"The Girl."**

**"It's her." One clear voice exclaimed, "Who cares? She won't last."**

**Kel bit her lip and stared at her tray. Stone, she thought in Yamani. I am stone.**

**Nealan gave no sign of hearing, but marched toward seats at the end of one table. As they sat across from one another, the boys closest to them moved. Two seats beside Nealan were left empty, and three next to Kel.**

**"This is nice," Nealan remarked cheerfully. He put his food on the table before him and shoved his tray into the gap between him and the next boy. "Usually it's impossible to get a bit of elbow room here."**

**Someone rapped on a table. Lord Wyldon stood alone at a lectern in front of the room. The boys and Kel got to their feet as Wyldon raised his hands. "To Mithros, god of warriors and of truth, and to the Great Mother Goddess, we give thanks for their bounty," he said.**

**"We give thanks and praise," responded his audience.**

**"We ask the guidance of Mithros in these uncertain times, when change threatens all that is time-honored and true. May the god's light show us a path back to the virtues of our fathers and an end to uncertain times. We ask this of Mithros, god of the sun."**

**"So mote it be," intoned the pages.**

Alanna glared at Wyldon. "Was that you trying to put Kel in her place?" Wyldon, now thinking back on that blessing, knew it was wrong, hearing Alanna's question he just shook his head. "Yes Alanna I was, and I still believe that woman should not be fighting."

**Wyldon lowered his hands and the boys dropped into their seats.**

**Kel, frowning, was less quick to sit. Had Lord Wyldon been talking about her? "Don't let his prayers bother you," Nealan told her, using his belt-knife to cut his meat. "My father says he's done nothing but whine about changes in Tortall since the king and queen were married. Eat. It's getting cold."**

Neal laughed. "Well it's true, my lord. You have really done nothing but complain since their majesties got married and started changing laws."

Myles silently agreed with him but knew better than to say anything.

**Kel took a few bites. After a minute she asked, "Nealan?"**

**He put down his fork. "It's Neal. My least favorite aunt calls me Nealan."**

**"How did his lordship get those scars?" she inquired. "And why is his arm in a sling?"**

**Neal raised his brows. "Didn't you know?"**

**If I knew, I wouldn't ask, Kel thought irritably, but she kept her face blank.**

**Neal glanced at her, shook his head, and continued, "In the war, a party of centaurs and hurroks—"**

**"Hur—what?" asked Kel, interrupting him.**

**"Hurroks. Winged horses, claws, fangs, very nasty. They attacked the royal nursery. The Stump—"**

**"The what?" Kel asked, interrupting again. She felt as if he were speaking a language she only half understood.**

**Neal sighed. There was a wicked gleam in his green eyes. "I call him the Stump, because he's so stiff."**

Wyldon looked at Neal. "Every time that the name 'the stump' is used in these books is a week of stable duties for you, Page Nealan"

Neal glared at the stump and thought in his head 'stump, stump, stump, stumpy, stump, stump' as if to smite him.

**He might be right, but he wasn't very respectful, thought Kel. She wouldn't say so, however. She wasn't exactly sure, but probably it would be just as disrespectful to scold her sponsor, particularly one who was five years older than she was.**

**"Anyway, Lord Wyldon fought off the hurroks and centaurs all by himself. He saved Prince Liam, Prince Jasson, and Princess Lianne. In the fight, the hurroks raked him. My father managed to save the arm, but Wyldon's going to have pain from it all his life."**

**"He's a hero, then," breathed Kel, looking at Wyldon with new respect.**

'Oh gods' thought George 'I believe she may have a bit of hero worship for the stum… I mean Wyldon, oh who am I kidding. Nealan has it right he _is_ a stump' with that George went back to listening to Numair read.

**"Oh, he's as brave as brave can be," Neal reassured her. "That doesn't mean he isn't a stump." He fell silent and Kel concentrated on her supper. Abruptly Neal said, "You aren't what was expected."**

"You're up to two weeks now, page" Wyldon said glaring at Neal. Most of the occupants in the room were laughing their heads off at the fact that Neal was getting punishment for a nickname that he hoped Wyldon would never find out.

**"How so?" She cut up her meat.**

**"Oh, well, you're big for a girl. I have a ten-year-old sister who's a hand-width shorter. And you seem rather quiet. I guess I thought the girl who would follow in Lady Alanna's footsteps would be more like her."**

**Kel shrugged. "Will I get to meet the Lioness?" She tried not to show that she would do anything to meet her hero.**

**Neal ran his fork around the edge of his plate, not meeting Kel's eyes. "She isn't often at court. Either she's in the field, dealing with lawbreakers or immortals, or she's home with her family." A bell chimed. The pages rose to carry their empty trays to a long window at the back of the room, turning them over to kitchen help. "Come on. Let's get rid of this stuff, and I'll start showing you around."**

"Oh, yes. I am hardly ever at court. Well that is bull crap in itself isn't it Jon? More like I was ordered away from the poor girl." Alanna spat at Jon, eyeing him carefully considering if she could maybe get away with murdering her so called friend.

**Salma found them as they were leaving the mess hall. She drew Kel aside and gave her two keys. One was brass, the other iron. "I'm the only one with copies of these," Salma told her quietly. "Even the cleaning staff will need me to let them in. Both keys are special. To open your door, put the brass one in the lock, turn it left, and whisper your name. When you leave, turn the key left again. The iron key is for the bottom set of shutters. It works the same as the door key. Lock the shutters every time you leave, or the boys will break in that way. Leave the small upper shutters open for ventilation. Only a monkey could climb through those. Don't worry if any of the boys can pick locks. Anyone who tries will be sprayed in skunk-stink. That should make them reconsider."**

**Kel smiled. "Thank you, Salma."**

"Okay, someone catch us up here. Why did she have to give Kel two spelled keys?" Daine asked, looking around.

"Oh! Because the room got trashed by the other pages and offending words were written on her walls about girls not being able to fight and that she should go home." Alanna replied this time, eyeing lord Wyldon in a not so nice way.

Numair looked at them both, glared, and continued to read.

**The woman nodded to her and Neal, and left them.**

**Neal walked over to Kel. "If they can't wreck your room, they'll find other things to do," he murmured. When Kel raised her eyebrows at him, he explained, "I learned to read lips. The masters at the university were always whispering about something."**

**Kel tucked the keys into her belt-purse. "I'll deal with the other things as they come," she said firmly. "Now, where to?"**

**"I bet you'd enjoy the portrait gallery. If you're showing visitors around, it's one of the places they like to go."**

**After leading Kel past a bewildering assortment of salons, libraries, and official chambers, Neal showed her the gallery. He seemed to know a story about every person whose portrait was displayed there. Kel was fascinated by his knowledge of Tortall's monarchs and their families; he made it sound as if he'd known them all personally, even the most ancient. She stared longest at the faces of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet. She could see why the queen was called the most beautiful woman in Tortall, but even in a painting there was more to her than looks. The girl saw humor at the back of those level hazel eyes and determination in the strong nose and perfectly shaped mouth.**

**"She's splendid," Kel breathed.**

**"She is, but don't say that around the Stump," advised Neal. "He thinks she's ruined the country, with her K'miri notion that women can fight and her opening schools so everyone can learn their letters. Anything new gives my lord of Cavall a nosebleed."**

"Three weeks," Wyldon almost looked happy with all the punishment Neal was getting out of the reading of this chapter.

Thayet smiled, thinking about Keladry's reaction to her portrait.

**"Still determined to go to war with the training master, Nealan?" inquired a soft, whispery voice behind Kel.**

**She whirled, startled, and found she was staring at an expanse of pearl-gray material, as nubbly as if it were a mass of tiny beads melted together. She stumbled back one step and then another. The pearl-gray expanse turned dark gray at the edges. Looking down, Kel saw long, slender legs ending in lengthy digits, each tipped with a silver claw.**

**She backed up yet another step and tilted her head most of the way back. The creature was fully seven feet tall, not counting the long tail it used to balance itself, and it was viewing her with fascination. Its large gray slit-pupiled eyes regarded her over a short, lipless muzzle.**

**Kel's jaw dropped.**

Everyone in the room let out a chuckle. They could just picture the young girl standing, there mouth open and staring. Kitten started whistling at the mention of Tkaa.

"Kitten hush, yes we know they are talking about Tkaa." Daine murmured to the still whistling kitten.

Numair sighed. "Would you all just shut up? There is only about a little left of this chapter. When I'm finished, then you can all blather on as much as you like."

Everyone including kitten shut their mouths and watched Numair.

**"You're staring, Mindelan," Neal said dryly.**

**"As am I," the creature remarked in that ghostly voice. "Will you introduce us?"**

**"Tkaa, this is Keladry of Mindelan," said Neal. "Kel, Tkaa is a basilisk. He's also one of our instructors in the ways of the immortals."**

**Kel had seen immortals other than the spidren on the riverbank, but she had never been this close to one. And it—he?—was to be one of her teachers?**

**"We basilisks are travelers and gossips," Tkaa remarked, as if he had read her mind. "I earn my keep here by educating those who desire a more precise knowledge of those immortals who have chosen to settle in the human realms."**

**"Yes, sir," Kel said, breathless. She started to curtsy, remembered that a page bowed, and tried to do both. Neal braced her before she could topple over. Once she had regained her balance, the red-faced Kel bowed properly.**

**"I am pleased to meet you, Keladry of Mindelan," the basilisk told her as if he hadn't noticed her clumsiness. "I shall see you both the day after tomorrow." With a nod to Kel and to Neal, he walked out of the gallery, tail daintily raised.**

**Neal sighed. "We'd better get back to our rooms. Tomorrow's a busy day." He led her back to her room, pointing out his own as they passed it. "We'll meet in the mess hall in the morning," he told her.**

**Kel used the key as Salma had directed, and entered her room. Everything was in place, her bed freshly made up, curtains and draperies rehung. A faint scent of paint still drifted from the walls. "Gods of fire and ice, bless my new home," she whispered in Yamani. "Keep my will burning as hot as the heart of the volcano, and as hard and implacable as a glacier."**

**A wave of homesickness suddenly caught her. She wished she could hear her mother's low, soothing voice or listen to her father read from one of his books.**

**Emotion is weakness, Kel told herself, quoting her Yamani teachers. I must be as serene as a lake on a calm day. It was hard to control her feelings when so much was at stake and she was so far from home.**

**But control her feelings she would. If anyone here thought to run her off, they would find she was tougher than they expected. She was here to stay.**

**To prove it, she carefully unpacked each porcelain lucky cat and set it on her mantelpiece.**

**Only when she had placed each of them just so did she scrub her face and put on her nightgown. Climbing into bed, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She imagined a lake, its surface as smooth as glass. This is my heart, she thought. This is what I will strive to be.**

"That is the end of the chapter. Now Daine my dear why were you outside?" Numair said looking to Daine

"Well you said you wouldn't be too long and it has been nearly three hours since you left I came to see what was taking so long."

"Well my dear as you can see we are stuck in here until all four of these books are read." Daine just nodded and turned to see what Buri and the queen were talking about.

".. Numbers of enrolments is so small this year and those who have stayed even smaller." Buri was telling the queen.  
>"Buri calm down, when we can leave we will both go over the figures and work something out maybe find a way to do some more recruiting."<p>

Turning away from the queen and Buri, Daine looked over to see George, Myles, King Jonathan and Alanna in deep discussion

"…. Unrest although my spies are wondering what is going on. This is worse than normal warring between the clans." George was telling them.  
>"Keep an eye on things there, then, George, and let me know any more developments on that front. Any other reports?" asked Jonathan, a frown marring his face.<p>

Daine looked around and whistled, everyone jumped at the sound "You know I don't wanna sound rude here.. But we do need to get out of here sometime this century maybe someone should read the next chapter."

Daine looking around the room decided, that she would read the next chapter. Picking up the book she, whistled again.

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><p><em><strong>AN**_ Ok so here is the next chapter all done Nell thanks for being Beta for this.

Please review even if it just a ok I love reviews they make me write faster lol I didn't have chapter 3 started got 5 reviews and suddenly I knew people wanted to read this so I got started on chapter 3 and now look here is chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 Kel and the shang part 1

Well here is the next chapter for you all hope you all enjoy.

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><p>Kel, the Griffin, and the Wolf sat under the willow tree, talking as the warm summer's day passed with only a light breeze to keep it a little cool.<p>

They talked about their lives in Shang, travels they had been on, and of other Shang they knew.

Matthias joked about the many times he had to fight his way out of trouble and the many times the griffin had to help to keep him in one piece.

Talking with them, Kel noticed that Matthias was a joker and an all-around fun loving guy.

As they continued to talk, Kel told them of her years in the Yamani islands, of her training with Nariko. Both Shang's winced at the name of Nariko. They both admitted to having trained with her at one time. When Kel mentioned she would have liked to toss her into a tree many times if she could, both agreed they would have done so as well with a grin on their faces.

Kel spoke of her Training, with the _Naginata_ and _shukusen, _in the Yamani islands.  
>Her training with staff, bow, sword and lance for the year as a page.<p>

She told of her time, training in hand to hand combat.

Naming Eda bell the Shang wildcat, and Hakuin Seastone the Shang Horse, as two of her teachers. Also of her time spent with Nariko and the Ladies in the emperor's court.

As the day wore on and time was slipping by, Matthias decided it was time to see what Kel knew, and how far through training she was.

"Kel" he said, looking at her, "how about we see how much you know, and have a friendly sparing match?" he asked, wondering if she would agree.

Kel looked up at the wolf, noticing the twinkle in his eyes; she thought to herself '_Well here go a lot of bruises, to start me off again on this new wonderful path to become a Shang'._

Kel looked at the wolf and laughed. "If you insist, oh wonderful soon to be gone training master, of course we shall spar.  
>Though really it should be the griffin who I spar with, seeing as she will be my full time teacher."<p>

Kel somehow knew, after half a day of speaking with the two Shang, she felt comfortable with speaking like this to her new friend, and that she could get away with comments like this to the Shang wolf.

The griffin moved to the other side of the willow by the horses, laughing as she did, so that Kel and the wolf could have enough room to move about for their testing spar.

Getting to their feet, the two faced each other and bowed moving into their fighting stances.

Kel and the wolf circled each other, Kel watching the wolf to see if he showed any signs of his first move.

The wolf watched, checking Kel's stance and balance, watching as her eyes darted over his body, looking for movement of torso or hips.  
>The wolf darted forward, grabbing one of her writs to throw her over his hip just like the Shang horse had done on her first day of page training.<p>

Kel, remembering her training from Nariko the Arms mistress at the emperor's court, in the Yamani islands and her days at the palace training to be a page, turned her hip into the throw hoping to throw the wolf instead, just as she had just about done to the horse.

Unfortunately for Kel, the wolf expected this move. He swept her feet out from under her, dumping her in the dust and dirt.

Kel fell and rolled, slapping the ground as she had been taught. Jumping back up, Kel kicked her left foot out at the wolf's right hand side.

But he saw this kick coming. The wolf grabbed Kel's left foot, twisted it making her unbalanced. She had to pivot. If she didn't, he would break her ankle.

Once Kel was unbalanced, the wolf took the new advantage and knocked Kel's feet out from under her again, dumping her on the ground.

The Griffin, standing far enough away not to get in their way, was yelling instructions to Kel.

_Well, _she thought to herself_, if I am going to train her, may as well start now while she's being tested. Let me see if this girl can pick up the moves fast, or if she is going to be too slow to learn, being as old as she is._

Kel was starting to get really annoyed at being dumped in the dirt time after time.

Remembering what he had done with her foot, she thought about it while they went back to circling each other. She wondered if she could maybe repeat that move as he had.

When the wolf made the next move, kicking at her left side with his right foot, Kel quickly grabbed his foot, before he could stop the kick.

Kel tried to use this as leverage to get the wolf on the ground. Unfortunately, the wolf, seeing what she planned to do as she done it, let her twist his foot as she twisted. The wolf pushed off the ground with his left foot spinning and brought his hands down on the ground.  
>As the wolf spun, he aimed a kick at Kel's unprotected head with his left foot. This time, his kick connected and Kel was unceremoniously dumped in the dirt and dust again.<p>

The Griffin could not contain her laughter at the shocked look on both the wolf and Kel's face.

"Looks like she is learning fast Matthias, I may have my work cut out for me to teach her new methods soon. If she continues to progress with the speed she picked up those little moves off you, I believe she may surpass both of us. Maybe even teach us some new moves very soon."

Matthias just looked to Cassandila and nodded his head, mind thick with the words she uttered.

Kel looked between the two and started laughing thinking they were joking. "How could I, only a new Shang trainee, show you, season hardened warriors, new moves and ways to fight?"

While she was laughing and asking this, Kel had not noticed the wolf had moved, so she didn't see the kick coming her way until it was too late to block it. For third time, Kel ended up on the ground, looking up into the laughing eyes of the Shang wolf.

Laughing at the look on her face, the wolf held out his hand to help her up.

Deciding it was time for a little revenge; she gently took a hold of his hand and quickly gave a sharp tug. She pulled the Wolf down, as he began to fall, Kel brought her knees up to her chest so that she could put both her feet in to the Shang wolfs stomach, kicking them up and over her head.

This caused him to go flying over her head and nearly into the trunk of the willow. Following the momentum if her body, Kel flipped on to her feet and spun, facing the tree and the Shang wolf sprawled on the ground.

Laughing so hard, she ended up falling herself. The griffin looked at the wolf who was still half dazed lying on the ground under the tree.

"Matthias how did that feel?" she asked, still laughing.

"Laughing are you, miss Griffin? Let us see ye spar against the little lady and see how you feel when ye take a flight," Matthias mumbled, getting to his feet and dusting off his breeches.

Turning to Kel, he bowed and walked over to put his arm around her shoulder. "Well I'll give you this, ye'll do well, don't let no one tell ye that ye won't," the wolf said, slipping back into commoner talk.

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><p>As the day slipped into night, the three sat down to an evening meal of packet soups carried by travelers and bread.<p>

"First thing tomorrow, I'll head to the palace. I will explain that the griffin could not make it because on our way she took a student. Having done so, she is now traveling to the Shang training grounds." He smiled at the worry on Kel's face. "Don't worry, lass. I will not tell them yer name. Though if they ask, what shall I call ye?" Matthias asked.

Kel sat there and wondered what she should do. '_Ysmay_, she thought. _It is more of a Yamani name but who would really care'  
><em>

"Ysmay, or May for short." Kel replied finally, thinking the name over and over to herself, so that she remembered her new name.

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><p>As the night grew dark, and the cool breeze of the day started to make the night's chill worse, Kel wrapped herself in her blankets, drifted off to sleep as she listened to the wind blowing through the willow. Her kitten was purring rhythmically –as if singing a lullaby –by her ear and the murmurs of the two Shang on the other side of the fire were incoherent as they were drowned out by Faithful's purrs.<p>

The Griffin noticed when her student had finally drifted off to sleep and looked over to the wolf. "You know you will have more trouble than I."

The wolf laughed. "Oh I will, though you will have the joy of explaining why you have suddenly taken a student." Looking over at the sleeping girl he, could see the strange tattoo like marks on her arms, thinking about this he turned more serious . "Cass did ye notice the marks on her arms? Do ye think she be the one from the legend?"

Both Shang's looked over to the young girl asleep. "If she is, we will find out soon enough Matthias."

"What have I told ye about calling me Matthias; its Matt to those close to me Cass."

The griffin glared at her friend then laughed. "Oh all right. Now we need a plan to deal with those numb skulls at the palace so they don't come lookin' for the poor child."

The wolf noticed the way his friend spoke about the young girl who was now under her care, realizing that it was affection. He thought to himself _'That girl will be well protected to being that she has the affections of the griffin.'_

So the two talked for a few more hours beside the fire, making plans so that should anything happen they would be able to help Kel escape before she was found.

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><p>Early the next morning, just before false dawn, Kel was shaken awake by the griffin. "Up now, you do not lay a bed while there is training to be done"<p>

Grumbling, a sleepy Kel dragged herself from the bed roll and stumbled her way over to the wolf. He was stretching and, soon enough, the griffin joined him. Kel saw it fit that she copied her new friends.

As all three stretched and began to loosen up, the wolf began to tell Kel the plans they had come up with during the night.

"Kel, after the morning meal I will leave for Corus and the palace. There, I will explain that though the Griffin was to come with me, she has left with a student named Ysmay. Because of that, she is unable to come to the palace. I will be staying at the palace as long as I can, that way, if anyone should mention you and your disappearance, we will know and I will be able to let the Griffin know."

Kel nodded and started to focus on her punches she was taught as a page. Noticing the way she punched, the griffin walked over and changed her stance a little. "If you stand like this you will have more balance, allowing you to put more of your weight behind the punch." with this she moved Kel's so they were spread on the ground a little wider than shoulder width apart, The back heel just lifted off the ground, and making her bend her knee's a little.  
>"Remember to rotate your hips when you punch it helps to put more weight behind your punch." the griffin told her.<p>

Changing her feet into the stance that she just learnt, Kel found it more comfortable and natural than any other she had learnt.

The wolf continued on with his explanations of what he would be doing at the palace.

"If they start to look for ye, I will get word to the griffin as fast as possible and we will move ye to another training ground outside of Tortall, where no one will think to look for ye," the wolf finished explaining.

Kel nodded and continued her punches, throwing in kicks after every few punches. This time, the wolf showed her a new way to kick along with the kicks she had already learnt.

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><p>After a few more hours spent, learning new kicks and punches, new stances and ways to dodge the kicks and punches, they moved on to weapons. Kel demonstrated her hardest pattern dance with the glaive and sword.<p>

The griffin called an end to morning lessons and called them to the morning meal.

"You look at home with the Naginata, Kel. How long have you been practicing with it?" the wolf asked as they ate their meal.

"My parents are diplomats. They went to the Yamani islands to secure the peace treaty with them. I went as well. When mama saved the swords of justice and chivalry, we were welcomed into the inner circle of the emperor. I was six at the time. I learnt then as well as the other young noble children," explained Kel.

Matthias nodded. He had heard as much when he was over there, but he could not get to the capital in time to see the Tortallan delegation.

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><p>With the meal over, the two Shang's went away from Kel to say their goodbyes as Kel packed up her equipment and loaded them onto Peachblossom.<br>Thinking back to how Peachblossom came to be with her, Kel remembered how she'd been going to the stables one last time to say good bye and had given him one last apple.

As she'd been saying goodbye, Diane approached her. "Kel if you are leaving, I think you should take Peachblossom with you. He won't take another rider, and he says you need looking after."

Kel had sighed. "But it would be theft."

"Don't worry about being accused of theft, Keladry. I will talk to Stephan for you…" she'd looked up at Kel with sorrow in her eyes. "…and Kel I am sorry. May all Gods bless you."

Kel shook her head out of the memory when she noticed the Griffin beside her.

The griffin stopped Kel as she was about to mount. "You need to build up stamina. Today, you shall either run or walk but you will not mount up."

Sighing, Kel moved to walk by the horses. Cass smiled at the young girl and kicked her horse, Dark King, into a trot, causing Kel to have to run to keep up with her.

This went on for the rest of the day. The griffin would make Kel run for one hour then walk for half an hour. Then back to running for an hour.

Kel's midday meal was some cheese and bread eaten as she walked. By the time they stopped to make camp at sunset, all Kel could think about was falling into her bedroll and sleeping.

Unluckily for her, the griffin had other ideas. "Do you think that an enemy will let you sleep if you are too tired to fight?" She didn't wait for her to answer. "No, they will not. Now get over here and be prepared to fight as if I was an enemy."

A worn out Kel moved to face the griffin and bowed, Struggling with weariness, Kel managed to block two punches and dodge a kick, before the griffin's second kick to the back of her knees caused her to stumble and fall.

Seeing this, the griffin looked down at the young girl and yelled. "GET UP NOW AND MOVE BEFORE I HAVE TO MAKE YOU GET UP" Kel jumped at the sound of the griffin yelling at her and stood up facing the griffin.

'_If I don't fight she is just going to keep on dumping me, I need to fight,'_ was all Kel could think about.

Still as tired as ever, Kel moved once more into a fighting stance and watched the Griffin closely, searching for the sign that would give her next move away. Kel saw her torso move and she also saw the punch that came with it. It was coming at her distracting her enough so that she did not see the griffin change her stance nor the kick that came at her knees again.

Kel went down a second time. This time, she remembered to slap and roll, coming to stand back up in front of the griffin.

Seeing this the griffin stopped, "Well at least you remembered that time. Now, I am going to start making the evening meal. I want you to practice the kicks, punches, stances, and blocks you learnt this morning. Tomorrow morning I will show you the dance of the griffin which will help you learn more new moves."

Kel started slowly with the punches, throwing in kicks every couple of punches. Then, she added a block, then a drop and roll. She went back to the start of this continued on for about an hour and a half before the griffin called her to their meal.  
>Kel and the Cass sat down to an evening meal of soup and vegetables.<p>

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><p>After the meal, the griffin looked at Kel "Now, we learn to meditate. It helps clear the mind and helps with being able to remember new moves; also helps learn discipline and concentration."<p>

Slowly, Kel and the griffin settled into a comfortable position (Kel lying on her back looking at the night sky, Cass sitting with her legs crossed, her arms resting on her legs, eyes closed) and silence and started to meditate. Kel already knew how to meditate from the Yamani islands and dropped herself into bliss as she visualized her calm lake. She became her lake. She became her inner sanctuary.

About half an hour later, Cass was startled from her meditation and looked at her student who was snoring. She chuckled and threw a blanket over the girl.

Looking up, Cass saw the kitten that followed her student.

"You know she is going to be a good student, Griffin. Remember that and remember she is not a typical student either. She is being closely watched," the kitten meowed to the startled Shang and curled up beside Kel to sleep.

A/N

Well there it is hope you all enjoyed, I want to say a big thanks to all who have reviewed so far.

Ileleana Thank you and glad you think it's good

Silverlilyann, I don't plan 2 any time soon

Fantasy Dreamer1992 I am going to try and stick this out and thanks

And of course huge big thanks to my wonderful Beta MageNellofGalla who has been a wonderful and awesome help especially picking up all the plot holes.

Please R&R and let me know before chapter 4 of Kel's story if you would like to be a Shang or even a student if you do pop it in ya review or even in a pm, just what you want to be and Shang name and a bit of a description

And here is a list of Shang names already in use

Shang Phoenix  
>Shang Dragon<p>

Shang Dolphin  
>Shang wolf<br>Shang Griffin  
>Shang Bear<br>Shang Crab (lol males)

So Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6 reading chapter 3 of POTS

_A/N Well girls and boys here is the next chapter! lol I know it has taken me a long time to get this out. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and put their hands up to be a Shang student or teacher... Also I know some of my characters are OOC, the way I am looking at it is that they have change themselves to make them OOC._

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><p><em>While I remember, I do not own this story. It all belongs to Tamora Pierce, apart from my plot line.<em>

_Previously… We had left the group reading the books. Daine, Buri, George and Kitten had joined the group._

"_.. Number of enrolments was so small this year and those who have stayed__,__ even smaller." Buri was telling the queen.  
>"Buri, calm down, when we can leave we will both go over the figures and work something out- maybe find a way to do some more recruiting."<em>

_Turning away from the queen and Buri, Daine looked over to see George, Myles, King Jonathan and Alanna in deep discussion_

"…_. Unrest all through. My spies are wondering what is going on. This is worse than normal warring between the clans," George was telling them.  
>"Keep an eye on things there then, George, and let me know any more developments on that front. Any other reports?" asked Jonathan, a frown marring his face.<em>

_Daine looked around and whistled, as everyone jumped at the sound "You know, I don't want to sound rude here, but we do need to get out of here sometime this century. Maybe someone should read the next chapter."_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: The Practice Courts<strong>_

Slowly, everyone in the room came back to their chairs and started to think about what this chapter could show them.  
>George took the book from Numair and whistled.<br>Looking around, he smiled once he had everyone's attention. "Well, I will tell ye this, I'm going to read this chapter and ye are all going to shut ya traps and let me get through it." Staring at him, everyone chose to be quiet.

**The next morning Kel heard the chatter of birds. She crept over to her open window and peered outside. It was nearly dawn, with the barest touch of light coloring the sky. Before her was a small courtyard with a single bedraggled tree growing at its center. On it perched house sparrows, drab in their russet brown and tan feathers, the males with stern black collars. Several birds pecked at the circle of earth around the tree. Kel watched them as the pearly air brightened. Poor things, she thought, they're hungry.**

Diane had to smile. She remembered the birds all being very happy about their wonderful new friend, who always had some seed for them.

**In her clothespress she had stowed the last of the fruitbread Mindelan's cook had given her for the journey south. Kel retrieved it and broke it up into crumbs, then dumped it on the courtyard stones. She was watching the sparrows devour it when the first bell rang and someone rapped on her door. She opened it and said a cheerful good morning to the servant who stood there with a pitcher of hot water.**

**"Good is as good does, Page Keladry," he said, his long face glum. He placed his burden on her desk, "I'm Gower. I'm to look after you." He began to sweep out the hearth as Kel took the water into her dressing room.**

**A new fire was laid when she returned to the main room, her face washed and her teeth clean. "If you've anything special you require, soap or cloths or such, tell me," Gower said sorrowfully. "Within reason, of course."**

**Kel blinked at him. She'd never met anyone this gloomy. "Thank you, Gower," she replied, intimidated. "I don't need anything just yet."**

**"Very good, miss," he said, then shook his head. "I mean, Page Keladry."**

**She sighed with relief when he left, and hurried to dress.**

Thayet, keeping quiet, wondered to herself why it seemed that one of the palace servants was not happy with their job. Reaching over to Jon's desk, Thayet grabbed a piece of paper, quill and ink, noting on the paper to talk to Gower and find out why he wasn't happy with his job.

**Undiscouraged by Gower, she wished Neal a good morning when she found him in the mess hall. He looked at her through bleary eyes and mumbled, "There's nothing good about it." Kel shook her head and ate breakfast in silence.**

Everyone in the room chuckled at this. Wyldon remembered that Neal did not like mornings, yet the girl was always awake and ready for the day. Neal was like most of the pages and he wondered why more could not have been like the girl.

**The day flew by. It began underground, where the palace stores were kept. A tailor took Kel's measurements. Then his assistant dumped a load of garments into her arms. She got three sets of practice clothes, sturdy tan cotton and wool garments to be worn during the morning. She also received three changes of the pages' formal uniform-red shirt and hose, gold tunic—to be worn in the afternoon and at royal gatherings. Shoes to match her formal gear were added; her family had supplied boots for riding and combat practice. Neal took the cloaks and coats she was given for cold weather.**

Alanna chuckled. "At least she wasn't given clothes that were too big for her and told not to come back for three months."  
>George smiled at his wife and started to read again.<p>

**Once she had stowed her things, Neal took her for another tour. They spent the morning inside, visiting the classrooms, libraries, indoor practice courts, and supply rooms like the pages' armory on the first level underground. After lunch, Neal took her to the outdoor practice courts and stables; the gardens, where she might wait on guests; and last of all, the royal menagerie. That night she dreamed the hooting calls of the howler monkeys from the Copper Isles and the cluttering of brightly colored finches.**

**The next day she woke not to the gaudy finches' calls or the songs of Yamani birds, but to the friendly gossip of the courtyard sparrows. In hopes of seeing them again, she'd swiped a couple of rolls from the mess hall. Now she tore the rolls up and put the scraps outside the window for the birds.**

**As she finished, the bell rang. Gower rapped on her door as he'd done the day before, bringing hot water. Once he had cleaned the hearth and gone, Kel got dressed and ran to the mess hall. Her first day as a page had begun.**

**After breakfast, the pages flocked to one of the practice yards. Kel would take her first steps on the path to knighthood in these wood-fenced bare-earth rectangles and their adjoining equipment sheds. I'll work hard, she promised herself. I'll show everyone what girls can do.**

All Neal could do was sit there and think about how Kel did show them what a girl could do, but stupid stump still kicked her out.

**Two Shang warriors, masters of unarmed combat, awaited the pages in the first yard. One of them sat on the fence, looking them over with pale, intelligent eyes. Her short-cropped tight gray curls framed a face that was dainty but weathered. She was clothed in undyed breeches and a draped, baggy jacket.**

**The other Shang warrior stood at the center of the yard, his big hands braced on his hips. He was a tall Yamani, golden-skinned, with plump lips and a small nose. His black eyes were lively, particularly for a Yamani. His black hair was cropped short on the sides and longer on top. His shoulders were heavy under his undyed jacket. Both he and the woman wore soft, flexible cloth shoes.**

**"For those who are new," he said, no trace of accent in his clear, mellow voice, "I am Hakuin Seastone, the Shang Horse. My colleague, who joined me this summer, is Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat."**

**"Don't go thinking you can bounce me all over the ground just because I look like somebody's grandmother," the woman said dryly. "Some grandchildren need more raising than others, and I supply it." She grinned, showing very white teeth.**

Everyone in the room laughed at this. Alanna couldn't help but remember Liam. The Wildcat was his old training master.

**Kel saw the redheaded Merric swallow. She agreed: the Wildcat looked tough.**

**"You older lads, pair up and go through the first drill," ordered Hakuin. "Grandmother here will keep an eye on you. As for you new ones… " He beckoned them over to a corner of the yard. Once they stood before him, the man continued, "Your first and most important lesson is, learn how to fall. Slap the ground as you hit, and roll. Like this." He fell forward, using his arms to break his fall. The boys jumped; the sound and the puff of dust he raised made the fall appear more serious than it was.**

Neal winced, remembering those lessons. They hurt, and the bruises were sore too.

**The Horse got to his feet and held a hand out to blond Quinden. When the boy took it, he found himself soaring gently over Hakuin's hip. Only after he landed did the boy remember to slap the ground.**

**"You have to do that earlier, as you hit," said Hakuin gently, helping Quinden up. "Now." He beckoned to Kel and offered a hand.**

**She took it, meaning to let him throw her as he had Quinden, but the moment she felt his tug, six years of Yamani training took over. She turned, letting her back slide into the curve of his pulling arm as she gripped him with both hands and drew him over her right hip. He faltered, then steadied, and swept Kel's feet from under her. She released his arm, then tucked and rolled forward as she hit the ground. She surged back up again and turned to face him, setting herself for the next attack.**

Jon and Alanna both knew it was never easy to beat a Shang, yet this ten year old had just about done it- how?  
>Wyldon sat there, remembering the reports from the two Shang trainers. They had said she was the best in the class. He may have made a mistake in letting the girl go.<p>

**He stood where she had left him, smiling wryly. Horrified, Kel laid her hands flat on her thighs and bowed. She expected a swat on the head or a bellow in her ear—Nariko, the emperor's training master, had had no patience with people who didn't complete a throw or counter a sweeping foot.**

**When no one swatted or bellowed, she looked up through her bangs. Everyone was staring at her.**

**Kel looked down again, wishing she could disappear.**

**"See what happens when you get too comfortable, Hakuin?" drawled the Wildcat. "Someone hands you a surprise. If you'd been a hair slower, she'd've tossed you."**

**"Isn't it bad enough I am humbled, without you adding your copper to the sum, Eda?" the Horse inquired. "Look at me, youngster," he ordered. When Kel obeyed, she saw Hakuin's black eyes were dancing. "Someone has studied in the Yamani Islands."**

Everyone was shocked. How could he have known she had trained in the Yamani islands, just by the moves she had used to counter his attack?

**"Yes, sir," she whispered.**

**"Your teacher was old Nariko, the emperor's training master, am I right? She always did like that throw. She drilled me in it so many times I wanted to toss her into a tree and leave her there."**

Chuckles ran around the room and Buri could not help but grin, thinking of training master she had had in Sarain. She would have liked to have done the same thing.

**Kel nodded, hiding a smile.**

**Hakuin looked at the older pages. "I believe you were practicing the first drill for the Wildcat?" he asked mildly. Instantly there was a flurry of activity, patterns of kicks, throws, and punches. Hakuin turned back to Kel. "Come show the other new ones how to fall. While they practice, we can see what else you know."**

**"Just what they taught the court ladies," Kel said. "Mostly counters to being grabbed or struck."**

"They teach that to all young ladies?" Thayet could not help her outburst. "Why, then, do we not teach it to ours?" Thayet got a look on her face that Jon knew meant change was coming again and it was going to upset the conservatives. Alanna and Buri laughed at the look of dread on Jon's face.

**"You were with the embassy?" he asked.**

**Kel nodded.**

**"That explains everything." To the other new pages he said, "Watch how Keladry falls."**

**They all stared at her with a combination of confusion and dislike. It occurred to her that she had done the very thing her brother had warned her against. The other pages thought she was showing off. She couldn't help that now. The damage was done. She would just have to make sure that she didn't repeat her mistake.**

**With a sigh, she toppled forward, as she had so often in the islands, and smacked the ground.**

Wyldon now had serious doubts about letting the girl go. True, she did cause many fights, but she was as good as, if not better than, the first years and some of the older pages

**When the next bell of the morning rang, they moved to another practice yard. A short black man in the maroon and beige uniform of the palace guard waited for them beside a barrel filled with long wooden staffs. Each of the pages selected one as he passed by.**

**"I am Sergeant Obafem Ezeko," announced the uniformed black man in unaccented Common. "Formerly weapons instructor to the Imperial Guard of Carthak, now serving the crown of Tortall. Lord Wyldon and I will instruct you in the use of various weapons. Pair up. You new ones at this end of the line. Cleon of Kennan and Vinson of Genlith, come up here to demonstrate."**

**Cleon was the big, redheaded boy who was Esmond of Nicoline's sponsor. He went to stand beside the sergeant, spinning his staff idly in his hands. Vinson faced off with him. He was a bony, tall youth. Kel had seen him eating with the handsome Joren at supper and breakfast.**

**"Show them a high block," instructed the sergeant. "Vinson defending, Cleon striking."**

**Cleon pulled his staff back and swung it first up, then down. The blow he'd aimed would have struck Vinson on the head or collarbone if it had landed. Instead Vinson gripped his staff, his hands spread wide apart, and raised the weapon a few inches over his head. Cleon's staff met his with a loud clack.**

**"Observe the strike," the sergeant told them. "Again, Cleon." The big youth repeated the strike, moving slowly. Kel nodded, watching the way his hands shifted on the smooth wood as he lowered it to tap Vinson's skull. From the way Vinson scowled at the bigger youth, Cleon's tap was a little harder than necessary.**

**"Your turn," barked Ezeko. He watched as the assembled pages did the strike. The newest boys were clumsy, although they should have had staff practice from their family men-at-arms. Kel was comfortable with the move. The only difference between this and the strike of a Yamani glaive, the weapon she knew best, was that she had no razor-sharp eighteen inches of steel at the end of her staff.**

**"Repeat the high block, Vinson," ordered the sergeant. Everyone watched as Vinson moved his hands apart on the staff and thrust it hard into the air, stopping just three inches over his head. He angled the staff down on the right to shield his face as well as his head. The sergeant made everyone do the same movement. He then had Cleon and Vinson demonstrate the middle strike and block, which centered on the chest and belly, and the low combination, to attack and defend the legs. Each time he made the pages try the moves.**

**Once they had practiced each movement, Ezeko had them stand in two lines. The newest pages were paired together. Neal, who was still new despite having been there during the spring and early summer, was partnered with Seaver of Tasride, the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy who looked as if he had a Bazhir ancestor. Kel was paired with redheaded Merric of Hollyrose. He was short, compact, and intent on their exercise. Kel licked her lips and settled the weapon in her hands.**

**"Left line strikes; right line blocks," the sergeant told them. He walked along the double line of pages, checking everyone's hold on the staffs. After he'd changed some boys' grips and nodded approval for others, he stepped back. "To my count," he bellowed. "High! Middle! Low!" Staffs clacked as the exercise began and wood met wood. "High! Middle! Low!"**

**Kel struck carefully. Proving herself tough on a smaller opponent wasn't right, and Merric looked nervous. The lightness of the staff bothered her. A Yamani glaive was far heavier. She knew that if she forgot she held a lighter pole, she would hit too hard.**

**"Faster! Swing 'em!" cried the sergeant. "I want to hear wood clack! You don't master the staff, you'll never master the sword. High! Middle! Low!" Over and over he chanted, increasing the speed. Kel bit her lip, locking her attention on the weapon.**

**"Ow!" someone cried as wood struck flesh. A few moments later there was another yelp.**

**"Keep going!" yelled Ezeko. "If your fingers hadn't been in the way, they wouldn't have gotten hit. Move 'em apart! The rest of you don't need me to count, do you? High, middle, low! I want to hear those staffs beat as one, understand me?"**

**They had been at it long enough to begin to sweat when Lord Wyldon came into the yard. He and Ezeko walked up and down the two lines of pages. Wyldon changed Prince Roald's footing. Ezeko corrected Esmond of Nicoline's grip. Wyldon thrust Neal's high block higher. They reviewed and changed each boy's work until they got to Kel and Merric. Rather than speak to them or change the way they exchanged blocks and strikes, both men turned and went back up the line, inspecting and correcting the other boys a second time. Kel watched them go; Merric banged her fingers as a result. When she looked at him, he glared at her.**

**It wasn't my fault they ignored us, she wanted to protest. She didn't. Warriors didn't make excuses.**

Jon looked at the training master. "You deliberately did not change their grips because she was a girl?"

"Your majesty, I…"

Alanna jumped in. "You did not help them because she was a girl, and you wanted her to go home, didn't you? Admit it, Wyldon; you were never going to let the girl stay no matter how good she was. Were you?"

Wyldon looked at Jon. "I see now that I did treat her differently from the boys. I said she would be treated equally, yet I stopped that straight away." Wyldon looked ashamed of himself. He was starting to see what he had done wrong.

Neal chuckled. "Oh Your Majesties, Sir Alanna, and everyone else, just wait till you see how much he treated Kel differently and blamed her for things that she did not start."

Everyone looked at Neal. "What do you mean, Page Nealan?" Jon asked.  
>"Wait and find out, Your Majesty," was all Neal said.<p>

Daine looked at George. "Well, are you going to carry on reading?"

George laughed and started reading again.

**"Switch places!" cried Ezeko when he reached the far end of the line of pages. They all stopped and repositioned themselves. Ezeko began the chant again. "High! Middle! Low!"**

**Merric seemed glad to be the one to hit. His blows fell harder and faster than the count, forcing Kel to respond in kind. Their rhythm fell out of time with their classmates'. Kel knew the men saw it, but they continued to focus their attention on the other pages. She kept up with Merric, blocking his strikes easily. She'd already attracted enough attention for one morning.**

**"Enough," said Lord Wyldon at last.**

**"Next," the sergeant informed them, "you will use strikes and blocks in combination. This time, strike your partner, then block his return strike."**

**"Change partners," added Wyldon. "Older pages, pair with the new ones, and see if you can better their speed. Come on, switch pairs!"**

**The boys looked around, trying to get to the partners they wanted before someone else did. Unsure of what to do, Kel remained where she was. When everyone formed into two lines once again, she was facing the beautiful Joren. Seeing that Kel stared at him, Joren smiled.**

**Kel hid her confusion. The day before, Neal had told her that Joren thought girls did not belong there. Now Joren smiled at her as if she were his friend. Does he want to make amends? she wondered.**

"Oh, like Mithros he does," Neal burst out.  
>Numair looked at Neal, and Neal had a magical gag in his mouth again.<p>

**"Get to it," Ezeko ordered. "Right line starts with a high strike. Left line does a high block, then a high strike. Right line, high block, then high strike. Older lads, go slow with the new ones. Strike! Block! Strike! Block! Nealan, stop flinching—if you get hit, you get hit. Strike! Block! Strike! Block!" He kept them at that for a few moments. Joren politely tapped his staff on Kel's as she blocked him; Kel then returned the hit and was blocked by Joren. They continued the rhythm easily.**

**"Switch to middle strike, middle block on my mark," Wyldon ordered. "Ready… middle strike! Middle block! Strike—King's Reach, stand still! You don't get dancing lessons till later."**

**Ezeko picked up the count. After a while they switched to putting low strikes against low blocks.**

**Kel relaxed. Joren was a good partner, meeting her with just the right amount of force. They traded blows and blocks easily, which gave Kel time to study him. Joren had to be the prettiest boy she'd ever seen. For all that he was older, a third-year page, he was only an inch taller, his gorgeous blue eyes nearly level with hers. He'd combed back his long, white-blond hair and secured it in a horsetail for the mornings work. If he were a player, Kel thought, they'd have him doing the young god Balcus Starsworn all the time.**

**Suddenly Joren's staff shifted under hers, sliding out of position for a block. He drove the lower end of his weapon under her guard, aiming for her ribs. Kel foiled him by stepping out of line.**

**"Back in place, probationer," barked Wyldon.**

"Again, what is it with you, Wyldon? It seems you cannot treat her like the boys- always different," Daine accused.

**The exercise changed again, this time to a high strike against a high block, then a middle strike and middle block, followed by a low strike and low block. The speed picked up as well. More and more pages, not all first-years, began to make mistakes.**

**Ezeko stood by her and Joren, yelling out the count. Kel took up the rhythm of the exercise, but now all of her senses were alert. When the pair next to them lost track of which block followed which strike, the sergeant moved to them. In the next moment Kel struck low and felt Joren's staff glide out from under hers. He swung his staff around and up, slamming it down at her collarbone. She whipped the foot of her staff up and around her arm to deflect him.**

**"This isn't a game, probationer!" snapped Wyldon. "Stick to the drill!"**

**Kel saw a mocking gleam in Joren's eyes. So Neal was right, she thought. He isn't nice at all.**

**Joren held to the drill, but now each block had more force behind it, making it a block and a blow. Each time he struck he was a little closer to her. Will they yell at him if he drives me back? Kel wondered. Or will they only yell if I move out of line?**

**"Come on, Queenscove!" cried Zahir, the tall young Bazhir page. "Stop flinching!"**

**Kel glanced over: Zahir was driving Neal out of the line of boys, his staff a blur in the air. Neal was blocking Zahir's strikes, but just barely.**

**Wyldon and Ezeko went to Neal and Zahir just as the tip of Joren's staff banged into Kel's cheekbone. He forced her backward, striking hard. She kept her fingers away from his weapon, thinking fast. If Wyldon or the sergeant wasn't going to put a stop to this, she had to.**

**She turned to the side, forcing Joren to move out of line to keep up. In turning, she discovered that the other boys had gathered around Zahir and Neal. They formed a kind of wall in front of Joren and Kel. Neither of the teachers would be able to see what Joren was doing until they forced the pages to form lines again.**

**Joren hit Kel hard and fast, raining blows on her. "Do you like this?" he demanded breathlessly as he pressed her. "Do you think you can keep up? Why don't you go home?"**

**"I belong here," Kel said grimly. She gave way before him, pushing his strikes to either side, thrusting their power away from her. "Just like the Lioness."**

**"Your precious Lioness is a mage and a cheat," sneered Joren, hate making him ugly.**

Alanna, at this point, completely lost her temper and, forgetting about the barrier, went to find that little boy and show him a cheat.

Jon glared at Alanna when she landed on the floor. "Alanna, stop being childish. You know what they say about you."

Alanna just glared at Jon, plotting ways to kill him and make it look like an accident.

Picking herself up off the floor, Alanna sat back down. Jon, seeing the look in his Champion's eyes, knew he was in for a world of trouble.

**He tried thrusting his staff past her blocks. When she intercepted him, he'd swing to the side hoping to smash her ribs. Kel saw they had almost reached the barn that served as one wall of the yard. She would have to do something when they got there.**

**The butt of Joren's staff caught the big muscle in her left thigh. Kel winced, thinking that she'd had just about enough. Joren was all right with a staff, but he wasn't one of the emperor's ladies. Her brother had warned her against showing off her Yamani skills, but surely he didn't mean for her to lie down for a bully.**

**"Why don't you just get out while you can still walk?" Joren whispered as Kel ran into the barn. He faked a strike at her knee. When she blocked it, he turned his staff over, driving it at her ribs. This time Kel swung her weapon across her chest, pushing Joren's staff into the clear air at her side. Joren recovered, slightly off balance, and swung the butt of his weapon toward her ribs again.**

**Kel pivoted to the side, letting Joren's momentum carry him toward the barn. Holding her staff near the top, she thrust its low end between Joren's calves. He crashed face-first into the building. He spun—he was quick, she admitted—and struck at her wildly.**

**I'm done being polite, she thought grimly.**

**This time she thrust her staff under Joren's and up, between his hands. A quick twisting jerk yanked the wood from his grip and sent it flying. Kel then drove her staff toward the flesh at the base of his neck. There she let it rest. As Joren slid away from her along the barn, she followed, keeping the light pressure on his windpipe. If she'd had a glaive rather than a staff, she might have given him a scratch to make sure that he remembered the lesson.**

**"What on earth are you doing?" she heard Wyldon snap. "That was not staff work as it is practiced here!" Joren looked at him over Kel's shoulder. Kel kept her eyes on Joren, not trusting him.**

**"She trained in the palace of the Yamani emperor." The dry voice belonged to Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat. "They're taught the use of a long-bladed pike—a glaive—there. How old were you when you started, Keladry?"**

**"Six," Kel replied. She finally lowered her staff and faced Wyldon.**

**The training master was red with anger. "This is Tortall, not the Yamani Islands—you are a noble, not a savage with a pigsticker. You will follow the assigned drills, understand? No Yamani cartwheels, no sleight of hand."**

**"It might be wise to teach Yamani methods," said Hakuin, the Shang Horse. Both he and the Wildcat leaned against the fence. Wyldon's claim that Yamanis were savages hadn't changed Hakuin's cheery look. He added, "You are friends with the Islands now, but that hasn't always been so. Even with a royal marriage arranged, there are always misunderstandings."**

**"I will take your words under advisement," Wyldon said tersely. "If we may now resume practice? With no more displays?"**

Numair felt the shift of power around him. Looking over, he saw Alanna starting to glow with a purple light. He quickly encased her in a shield so that no power could leave it.  
>Alanna glared at him before looking at Wyldon. "You have pages that need to leave, Wyldon. Stone Mountain will not survive the Ordeal if you let him enter the Chamber."<p>

"What would you know of such things,_ Lady_ Alanna? "Wyldon asked with an emphasis on the Lady "The Chamber does not kill squires because they speak the truth," answered Wyldon.

Jon and Thayet looked at each other, and Thayet chose to speak up. "So therefore, you agree that it is acceptable to punish a page because of another page's actions, my lord?"

Wyldon knew it was a trick question but answered anyway. "Keladry was told off because she broke out of line and used moves that are not taught to pages."

"So then, Wyldon, what was Joren of Stone Mountain's punishment?" Thayet asked in a sweet tone.

"Nothing, your Majesty," Wyldon replied.

George looked at all of them. "Will ye shut up now, so I can finish reading this?"

**But a pole arm makes it possible for a smaller warrior to take a big one, thought Kel, surprised by his attitude. That's why the imperial ladies are taught it, to save their honor and that of their charges.**

**"You practice with the probationer, Nealan," ordered Ezeko. "All of you, back in position!"**

**After more time spent on staff work, in pairs and alone, Wyldon and the pages ran down the long slope behind the palace to the archery range. Kel stayed away from him. After her bout with Joren, it had seemed that every time she turned around, Wyldon was ordering her to adjust her grip on her staff, change her stance, get her blocks higher, strike lower. It wasn't right—he wasn't correcting the boys nearly as much as he did her—but she vowed she wouldn't let him know she thought so. She would prove that she could take whatever he threw at her.**

Jon was getting annoyed with the why his training master had handled the young page. The training master went from not helping the page to never letting her move out of his sight. He was showing, just how biased he was to the lone female page.

**At the archery range, she promised herself that she would not let any of the things she had learned in the Islands affect her work here. She might have carried it off if she had been able to go at her own pace. She knew she was in trouble when the archery master told them that since they were expected to already know how to use a longbow, he wanted them to pick up their speed. He was everywhere, urging the pages to be quick, quick!**

**Soon everyone knew that when Kel got flustered, she gripped her bow in the wrong spot, two-thirds of the way down. Rushed, she drew the string with her thumb, not her index and middle fingers. She forgot that she used a short bow, and pulled the string back so far that the arrow dropped away. She bit her tongue and said nothing of the differences between Yamani archery and Tortallan. It's not like I was any good with a Yamani bow, she told herself. After Wyldon's comments about foreigners, Kel let him think she made silly errors as she concentrated on correcting her draw and her handling of the arrow.**

**Stone, she told herself as she picked up a dropped arrow, hearing giggles. For a moment she was five again, listening to the Yamani children laugh and tease the clumsy foreign barbarian. They accepted me in the end, she told herself. These boys will, too.**

**"Riding!" called Wyldon when the bell sounded the end of the class. "New boys, pick a mount from the spares. That horse will be yours to look after and ride for now. Saddle your mount and ride him out. Don't take forever!"**

**The pages set off for the stable at a trot. Halfway there, Kel noticed that the other four new pages were running full out to reach the stable first. She picked up her pace, knowing they wanted to beat her to the best choices of the spares. The group of older pages running ahead of her spread out and slowed down, blocking her without appearing to know she wanted to pass. When she got to the pages' stable, the new boys had made their selections. Their sponsors lounged in front of the stalls as if they dared Kel to even look at the others' selections.**

**They had left her two options. One was a chestnut mare with dull, uninterested eyes and a slumped stance. You could be after her a whole week before she'd take a step, thought Kel. The other horse was a small destrier, larger than most of the other mounts but not as big as the warhorses ridden by knights. A gelding, he was a strawberry roan: red-brown stockings, face, mane, and tail, and a white-flecked reddish coat. His attention was fixed on Kel, and there was a calculating look in his eyes. There were large scars on his legs and sides. White-haired spots on his back showed where he'd been saddled improperly in the past.**

Daine smiled. Peachblossom was a wonderful horse, if you knew him and he trusted you.

**The other pages were halfway done saddling their mounts. Neal worked on his horse, a neat brown mare, as he kept an eye on Kel.**

**Kel advanced to the dull-eyed mare, hand outstretched. She had to thrust it under the mare's nose before the horse would so much as sniff.**

**"She's the one you want," a man said, coming out of the shadows at the back of the stable. His clothes were spiked with hay and splashed with dried slobber, his blond hair looked as if horses grazed on it. Light blue eyes bulged slightly in his reddish face. The dull mare ambled over and nuzzled him. "She's a bit slow, but she's steady. Peachblossom there's ruined for knight's work—maybe ruined for work at all." He shook his head, eyes sad. "Dunno what I'll do with 'im if he won't take to cart or plow. They're after me to free up his box for when the new mounts come next week."**

**Kel could see it in the stableman's face: he did know what he would have to do. Horses cost money to keep. If they didn't pay for their stall and feed by working, unless they were good for stud they were put down.**

**She walked over to the gelding. Reaching into her pocket, she brought out the apple she'd put there and offered it to Peachblossom. The horse spent more time examining her than sniffing the treat, but he took the apple all the same.**

**"He won't bite, miss," said the hostler, coming over. "Not with me about. But I can't make him stay good, not without neglecting others. Sooner or later my effect on him will wear off. And he's got plenty of other tricks."**

Neal could not help but remember the devil horse Kel had picked. That horse was just plain evil.

**"I'll take—did you say Peachblossom?" she asked. "If he doesn't work out, I'll trade him for one of these new horses you're expecting."**

**"He's too big, miss," argued the hostler. "He's not for someone that's just learning how knights ride."**

**"Let me try, please," Kel replied. "I won't hurt him."**

**"It's not him I'm worried for," insisted the man.**

**"Have you made a choice, probationer?" demanded Wyldon. "We do ride today, remember."**

**The hostler grasped Peachblossom's head and laid his face on the horse's muzzle. "You'll be good, all right? I want you to, and sitting in here isn't what you're made for. Behave yourself, Peachblossom. You do know how." He released the horse and nodded to Kel. "He'll fare all right for a time, at least. If he gets shifty, tell him Stefan said 'be good.'" He ambled into the shadows at the stable's rear.**

**Kel found the gelding's tack and got to work saddling him. About to pull the girth tight, she found that Peachblossom was rounder than he'd first appeared. It was an old trick. The horse swallowed a bellyfull of air, making the saddle too loose, ensuring that the rider would slide off.**

**He's testing me, Kel thought. She kneed him in the belly. He turned and looked at her. "I'll tell Stefan on you," she whispered.**

**The horse blew out the air he'd sucked in. Kel cinched the girth tight. By the time Wyldon reached their end of the building, she and Peachblossom stood ready. Wyldon gazed at Kel and at the horse. If he thought the mount was too big and too hostile for Kel, he kept it to himself. Instead he ordered her to clean the tack well before she used it again. That done, he told the pages to lead their mounts outside and down the hill.**

**The practice yard was far enough from the stable that horses would not be forever trying to run for home. Kel was grateful for that. She was big for her age, but Peachblossom was big, too. If he raced for his stall she would flutter along behind him like a kite at the end of the rein.**

A laugh went around the room at the thought of the horse running back to the stables with a page fluttering along behind like a kite.

**Wyldon and the riding master stood beside the open gate to the yard and observed as each page walked his mount through. Once everyone was inside, the riding master ordered them to form a line, with the horses' heads facing inward. After inspecting the horses, the riding master said quietly, "Mount up."**

**Has anyone ever mounted down? Kel wondered as she swung into the saddle. The moment she settled, she thought that perhaps she'd been rash. Peachblossom's back was much wider than her pony's.**

**"Time was," Neal had explained the day before, "pages rode ponies till they were twelve or so. Our Stump, though, says that knights ride true horses, and so will pages. My father told me the number of broken bones from horse accidents has quadrupled since Wyldon became training master."**

**I should've taken the stupid one, thought Kel. This fellow is too much for me. Peachblossom sighed, as if he'd heard. Kel gritted her teeth. No. I'll keep him. He won't be pulling carts or killed for dogmeat, not while I have breath in my body. Knights ride horses, so pages ride horses, she told herself, and sat tall. Peachblossom looked back at her as if to say, Don't get cocky.**

**"Walk 'em sunwise," ordered the riding master. "A foot between you and the next rider."**

**Kel tugged the reins. Peachblossom didn't move. She tugged harder. Gods, his mouth must be as hard as stone, she thought, and yanked. At last the gelding understood, just as Wyldon ordered, "Move him along, probationer!"**

**Peachblossom turned and walked forward as soon as Kel nudged his sides with her feet. He paced along so amiably that Kel risked a look around. Most of the other mounts were restless, fighting rein and bit. Feeling better as she watched their riders struggle, she turned her eyes ahead. Peachblossom was stretching out his neck, trying to bite Neal's brown mare. Kel shortened her reins, pulling his head up. "You won't fool me," she whispered. The horse flicked an ear back toward her, listening. "I have nieces and nephews!"**

Laughing, Daine remembered when she helped Peachblossom. He had told her about Kel saying that, and that he did think that younglings were no match for him, though he could not tell his human that, she didn't understand him.

**"Trot 'em," ordered the riding master.**

**Kel kept a watch on her mount. Peachblossom obviously could not be left to his own devices for so much as a breath. The remainder of the lesson was a series of contests between her and the tricky gelding.**

**When Kel waddled out of the stable, her legs feeling as if she still had a mountain between them, Wyldon stopped her. "The boys use the men's baths," he said without meeting her eyes. "We made arrangements for your bathing, for all that I feel it is a mistake to make even a single exception for you."**

**So is this fair? Kel wondered. He's treating me differently from them. But I feel better about washing up by myself… It was too much to think about. She rubbed her head wearily. He seemed to want an answer of some kind. "I understand, my lord," she told him.**

**He lifted his eyebrows, as if he doubted she understood. "You will find a bath ready in your chambers," he said. "I expect you to be on time for lunch."**

**Kel bowed. "If I may go then, my lord?"**

**He nodded. She looked at the long, sloping rise to the palace. "You would do better to run that," remarked Wyldon. "You need the exercise. But I do not require it of the lads, and I will not ask it of you."**

Alanna glared at Wyldon, still stuck in the bubble that Numair made. All she could think was _'You won't ask her to, but you did expect it, you Stump. Neal has the correct nickname for you.'_

**You won't ask it, but I'll do it anyway, she thought stubbornly. You'll see. I'm as good as any boy. I'm better.**

**Slowly, her legs protesting every step of the way, she began to trot up the hill.**

"That is the end of the chapter," George said as he looked over the room.

Laughing, he saw Neal, still with the magical gag, and his own sweet Lioness still in her magic bubble.

"So, who wants to read the next chapter?" Daine asked.

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><p>AN Well, all here is the next chapter if anyone wants to write these chapters I will happily hand them over I am not doing very well with these chapters.

Big thanks to TamariChan who is doing beta reading for me.

Please R&R more reviews = faster updates.


	7. Chapter 7 Kel and the shang part 2

_**A/N**__** sorry it took so long to get this chapter out I was stuck with writers block so I am sorry it is so short.**_

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><p>As the light of false dawn began to show, Kel slowly started to awaken to the yowls of Faithful in her ear. "Get up, get up, get up. You need to train and learn. Time is getting away from us. If you do not get up now you will never learn in time to help save Tortall. <em>GET UP<em>!"

Grumbling to herself about annoying cats, Kel started to get up and quickly got dressed in the light of morning's false dawn. Even though it was not even dawn yet, the day was already starting to get hot.

She thanked Mithros and the Goddess that she did not mind the heat or else she would be really annoyed for the rest of the day.

Looking around, Kel found a spot clear just a handful of steps away from the camp site and began her morning routine stating with stretching.

The Shang Griffin, already awake and finished her morning practice, watched as Kel started to stretch, looking for places where she could improve her stretches and warm up of her muscles.

Kel, having finally finished stretching, started to work on her arm strengthening exercises. As she started her normal morning twenty, Kel did not pay attention to what the Griffin was doing as she got into her own little bubble when she trained, blocking out the rest of the world in her stubborn concentration.

The griffin, watching her doing the arm strengthening exercises, knew that here was a place where she could change her routine and help her, depending on how many exercises she did every morning.

"Kel how many of those arm strengthening exercises do you do each morning?" the Griffin asked as Kel stood up from her exercises.

Jumping at the sound of her mentor and trainer's voice, Kel looked over to her "I normally do twenty each morning; Eda Bell taught me them and recommended doing twenty to help with my arm muscles. Why do you ask?" Kel responded moving to reach down to her toes then stretch up as high as she could to help to limber up her torso.

Cass looked at Kel and laughed. "Starting from now I want you to work up to doing one hundred of them three times a day, at least for now."

"After you have finished your morning exercise, we will have our morning meal. Then, we must be on the road to the training grounds. We're about four maybe five hours away. If we are lucky, we can make it before the midday meal," Cass remarked before she walked over to the fire to start on the morning meal while Kel finished her morning exercise.

Finished her morning workout, Kel went and packed up her tent while waiting for Cass to finish the morning meal.

Cass laughed at Kel as she tripped over a tree root getting her clothes and tent packed up. She wanted to be ready to move out from their camp as soon as possible.

Kel was eager to get to the Shang training grounds here in Tortall and back into full time training as she was starting to feel very lazy and uncertain of what the gods wanted her to complete. Training always made her feel better, with the rhythm of movement putting her into a state of mind like meditation.

They both were quiet as they ate the morning meal, and cleaned up.

Cass mounted up on Dark king. He was a seventeen hand high midnight black gelding with four white socks and a white star.

Peachblossom looked the gelding over with a twinkle in his eye. Kel saw the look in his eyes and quickly walked over to him to grab his halter. She spoke to him in quick and quiet words when she said, "Peachblossom, behave or I will send you back to the palace and let one of the new pages have you."

Peachblossom snorted and shook his head, making Kel drop the halter. He trotted a few steps away from them and looked back at them as if to say 'well if I am not allowed to see what he tastes like then I want to get moving.'

Kel and Cass could not help the laugh that burst out simultaneously.

Looking up at the sky and noticing that the sun was fully up, Cass decided that they really needed to get moving. Looking over to Kel, she yelled out to her to start running. For the next five hours, Kel spent an hour and half running, an hour walking then back to an hour and half running. By the time Kel started the second hour and a half of running, her leg muscles were starting to burn, kel thought to herself '_I will not stop,_ she told her screaming muscles. _So you may as well get used to this._But no matter how hard she tried to block it out, they continue to scream and instead, she bit her lip to distract herself.'

Cass —seeing that she would not complain no matter what she asked of Kel and knowing that her legs would be feeling the burn left— Kel to walk for the last hour.

As it was Cass didn't have patience for anyone who complained; it was the way she was trained, the way she was brought up.

Kel was just starting to think she could not continue on when they came to a large circular clearing with a lot of tents set up around the outside.

Kel could not believe her eyes at the amount of people in the clearing.

As she looked around she could see people of all ages and skin color; there were even a few babies there!

Cass could not help but laugh at the look on Kel's face as she looked around. Many of the younger children with free time ran up to the horses, yelling a welcome to Cass. She was immediately flooded by high-pitched questions asked in their individual accents. "Why are ye not at the palace?" and "Didn't you like it when you was there?" along with —and almost everyone was wondering — "Where was Wolfe?"

Kel smiled as she watched her mentor and teacher be surrounded by young children before she could even dismount.

Noticing the quiet, Kel looked around and saw that just about all activities had stopped and everyone was staring at them.

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><p><em><strong>I just want to say welcome back Nell and thanks for still being beta and thanks to tamari who was a wonderful beta while Nell was away.<strong>_

_**And of course a big thanks to all those who have reviewed!**_

_**xyxyxy11-**__**thank you I feel like I don't write the responses very well to the book.**_

_**Ileleana -**__**Yes, Wyldon is an idiot lol.**_

_**Zelfina**__**I- have the books on .pdf on my laptop so I just copy and paste each chapter into a word doc lol. And thank you for the offer.**_

_**Sir Breanna- **__**Thank you and hope you like this chapter too.**_

_**Natalucien- **__**Thank you and here is the next chapter for you.**_


	8. Chapter 8 reading chapter 4 of POTS

_Hey sorry it has been so long lol got in a relationship then broke up ahhh the life lol. Moved twice and ended up with a broken laptop screen and until a couple of days ago no access to net. Apart from my phone._

_Nell again thanks so much for beta reading this for me, you are the best._

_Thank you all for your Reviews._

_Here is the next chapter for you all._

_**Chapter 4: Classrooms**_

Looking around the room, Buri sighed. "I will read the next chapter". Taking the book from George, Buri looked at everyone then down to the book and began to read.

**Academic classes began after lunch, just as Kel began to feel her bruises. Her first two classes—reading and writing, then mathematics—were taught by shaven-headed Mithran priests in bright orange robes. Not long after the pages' arrival, the teachers put them to work on their first written lessons of the year.**

**"History and the law of the realm," Neal murmured as they walked into their third class. "You'll like this!" He slapped a desk next to his. "Sit here. Sir Myles doesn't care where we put ourselves."**

**"Sir Myles?" she asked.**

**"Sir Myles, Baron of Olau, our teacher in history and law," Neal explained. "Why do you ask?"**

**Kel ran her finger over a scratch on her desktop. "He's the Lioness's father," she told him shyly. Seeing him would be almost as good as meeting Lady Alanna herself.**

**"Adoptive father, actually," Neal said as a small, chubby man entered the room. He was long-haired and bearded, dressed in a dark blue tunic over a dark gray linen shirt and gray hose.**

**His green-brown eyes were sharp as he looked over the pages.**

All Neal could think about was the way Kel's eyes looked when Sir Myles first walked into the room, the look of almost hero worship for the teacher because of his adoptive daughter.

**"Here we are, trembling on the brink of a new year." Sir Myles ambled up to the front of the room and leaned against the wall. "I'm pleased to see no one swung his scythe too hard and cut off his own head—"**

**"But not for lack of trying!" joked the redheaded Cleon.**

**The knight raised gracefully curved brows. "You did not have to say that," he said mildly. "You would not be worthy to be a page if you were not always trying something." He perched on a tall stool. "Well," he said companionably, "we've had quite a year. Will someone explain why calling the recent deluge of battles the Immortals War is misleading? Your highness?"**

**Prince Roald ducked his head, but replied in a clear voice, "Because immortals—Stormwings, spidrens, ogres—were in the fight, but they were just allies to Scanrans, Copper Islanders, and Carthaki renegades. They weren't the leaders."**

**Sir Myles did not seem to care whether his students stood to answer. "Very good." The man looked around. "How many of your home fiefs took damage in the fighting?"**

**Hands went up, Kel's among them. No part of the realm was unscathed.**

**"How many know someone who was killed?"**

**Hands went up again. Kel knew of two people in the village who had been cut to pieces by killer centaurs. Luckily her own family had been spared the loss of any members.**

**"These losses are felt," Sir Myles told them. "Their majesties honor their sacrifice, and we all wish that it had not been needed." As the hands went down he said briskly, "Why did this happen? How did Scanra, the Copper Isles, and the Carthaki rebels come to assault our shores? Joren?"**

**The handsome boy lounged at his desk, seemingly bored. "The King's Champion killed a Copper Island princess thirteen years ago."**

Alanna started to plot now how to make Joren of Stone Mountain disappear without a trace.

**"That is one reason: bad blood. It doesn't explain the Carthakis and the Scanrans."**

**Joren shrugged. "Scanrans always raid us. They don't need a reason."**

**"But they do have reasons," Sir Myles pointed out. "Pressing ones that send them against us year after year. Put the Carthakis aside for now. Consider our gentle neighbours to the north. What riches do they have?"**

**"Furs?" suggested Faleron.**

**"Rocks," added Cleon, who got the laugh he'd intended.**

**The discussion went on. It ranged from poor Scanrans with failed crops to the destruction of the old Carthaki emperor and the installation of the new one, Kaddar. When the bell rang, it surprised Kel—she had lost all track of time.**

**"So what do you think of the king's spymaster?" Neal murmured in her ear as they left the classroom.**

**Kel came to a dead stop. "What?"**

**Neal smirked. "You didn't know. Myles of Olau isn't just a teacher and a member of the King's Council. He's King Jonathan's spymaster."**

**"You're making that up," she accused him.**

**"Why?" he asked. "My father says he's the best spymaster the realm's had. It comes from Sir Myles going into trade to mend the Olau finances. His merchants send him all kinds of information—he just expands on it."**

**"Maybe you shouldn't tell," Kel pointed out. "Maybe it's supposed to be a secret."**

**Neal shrugged. "It's not talked of openly, but it's no secret. What's secret is who's his second in command, the one who does the legwork." He steered her into yet another classroom.**

Myles, Jon and George all shared a quick glance at this. Neal saw the glance and started to wonder if the not so obvious rumors were true and that is was Lady Alanna's husband who was second to Sir Myles. _'Hmmm will have to keep an eye on them,'_ Neal thought to himself.

**Kel came to a full stop again. All thought of spies and secrets evaporated from her mind. One entire wall of this classroom was filled with windows. Two walls were lined with shelves of glass containers, which enclosed plants, water, food dishes, even animals or fish.**

**Kel was glad to see that the other first-year pages seemed as amazed as she.**

**"Go ahead, look closer," Neal said. "Master Lindhall likes us to take an interest in the animals."**

**A small turtle was trying to bite Kel's index finger through glass when something white and clicky landed on her outstretched arm. It was a kind of living skeleton, a creature of bone and air. It had flown to perch on her, yet its wings were empty, slender fans made of very long finger bones. It gripped her arm with fossil claws. It tilted its long, pointed skull back and forth as if it were looking her over.**

**Leaning over, the thing clattered its jaws at her. Then it bit her nose so gently she felt only the barest pressure of its teeth.**

**"Bone!" A man strode over, brushing silvery blond hair from his eyes. "You must excuse Bonedancer," he told Kel in a soft and breathy voice. "There was no such thing as manners when he was alive, so he thinks he need not learn them now."**

**Bonedancer looked at him and clattered his jaws.**

**Kel looked at the skeleton, then at the man. He was nearly a foot taller than she, tanned and weathered, with broad cheeks and pale blue eyes. "I don't understand."**

**The man smiled. "A mage was briefly granted the power to raise the dead last year. Bonedancer was one of the things she brought back to life. He was a fossil then, and a fossil he remains. He's just rather more lively than most fossils."**

Daine, Alanna and Raoul all burst out laughing remembering the trip to Carthak where Daine was given those wonderful powers and had half destroyed the capitol. Numair on the other hand remembered just about losing his love and believing he would never get her back.

**It sounded like an explanation, but Kel was not sure she understood. I'll ask Neal, she told herself. "Thank you, sir," she told the man politely.**

**"I'm Lindhall Reed," he said to her and to the other first years. "I am one of your teachers in the study of plants and animals. Have a seat, you new ones. As for everyone else, who has brought me a plant from home?" he asked. The older pages and Neal reached into their belt-purses to draw out leaves and stems wrapped in parchment.**

**Kel took a desk near the irritable turtle and waited for her head to stop spinning. She was positive that none of her brothers had mentioned flying skeletons when they talked about their studies.**

**After Master Reed's class, those who possessed a magical Gift went to study magecraft. Kel and the magicless pages had a class with Tkaa the basilisk.**

**"For those who are new to the palace," the tall immortal began, "you should know that the king has decreed that those pages and squires without magic must learn to cope with magical things. You will have several teachers in this area. I will instruct you in the ways of immortals, of which I am one."**

**He bent down, until his large eyes gazed almost directly into Esmond of Nicoline's. "And immortals are…?" he inquired.**

**"Monsters?" replied the boy. He gasped, panicked. "I mean—I beg pardon! Not monsters, of course not." He fell silent as the basilisk laid a paw gently on his shoulder.**

**"Beings from the divine realms, who may live forever unless they are killed in some way," Seaver said quietly.**

**"Very good," replied Tkaa.**

**"Some are monsters, sir," added Seaver, meeting Tkaa's gaze steadily. "My father was killed by a spidren." Kel thought of the one that she had faced at Mindelan and swallowed hard.**

**"My sympathies," replied the basilisk with a bow. "Spidrens are monstrous. Let me tell you of their creation, and of their habits."**

**The pages listened with fierce attention. Spidrens laired throughout the realm and were a deadly threat.**

**Their final class of the day was etiquette, taught by Upton Oakbridge, the royal master of ceremonies. The room was hot and the work so boring that Kel had to fight to stay awake. She ached all over from the morning's activity. The new pages were taught bows to nobles of different rank, which only made her muscles ache more. The older boys hid yawns as they practiced writing formal letters.**

**As the class drew to a close, everyone was given a book and assigned to report on its first chapter for the next day. When Kel saw the title, she grinned.**

**Oakbridge was on her like a cat. "What amuses you, probationary page?"**

Buri grabbed her piece of paper and wrote down Oakbridge's name in the list of needing a beating in the courts for a lesson in manners.

**Can't he pretend I'm just like everyone else? Thought Kel as she got to her feet. "Nothing, sir."**

**"But you are amused, it was quite clear. You must share the joke with us, probationary page, now, if you please." He stood before her desk, one fist planted solidly on a hip. She could hear his foot tapping briskly.**

**"Master Oakbridge—"**

**"Lord Wyldon shall school you properly in the matter of excuses. I will accept no more evasion, probationary page!"**

**Kel opened the book and pointed to the author's name. "Sir, the writer is my father."**

**The master of ceremonies snatched the book away and scowled at the title page. "What of that?" he demanded. "The child does not have all of his father's knowledge."**

**All of her father's knowledge, thought Kel irritably.**

**"Excuse me, Master Oakbridge," Neal said in his friendliest voice, "but Kel doesn't have all of her father's knowledge. Not his."**

**Dropping her blank Yamani mask-face, Kel glared at him.**

**Oakbridge also glared at Neal. "The majority of you are lads. Proper usage calls for male pronouns when males are part of the group."**

**"Except that you addressed Kel alone, which then demands the exact term."**

**Kel clenched her hands behind her, where Master Oakbridge could not see them. She promised herself that from now on she would try to sit as close to Neal as possible. She could not kick someone eight chairs away.**

Everyone laughed at this they could just imagine the young girl kicking Neal as hard as she could under a table for being smart mouthed to the teachers.

**Oakbridge gave Neal a look that would have stripped paint, then turned back to Kel. "You have not answered me," he said. "Have you your father's knowledge? You are but a child."**

**"Yamani etiquette is serious," Kel replied, her face once more Yamani-calm. "Especially at the emperor's court. People have their heads cut off if they don't bow right."**

**Oakbridge stared at her for a moment. Then he pursed his lips. "Review this entire volume tonight, probationary page Keladry," he announced. "Tomorrow you will report on those parts that are familiar to you, and which parts, if any, are not. Should I be satisfied as to the breadth and depth of your knowledge, I may call on you to assist me in preparing for courtesies to the Yamanis." To the pages he explained, "As I am certain his highness is well aware"—he looked at Prince Roald, who nodded—"their majesties have arranged for a state visit next fall by Princess Chisakami of the Yamani Empire. When she arrives, we shall know how to greet her and her attendants properly, according to their own custom. To that end—"**

**The final bell of the afternoon rang. Kel gathered all her papers and books and followed the other pages out of the room.**

**Neal was waiting. "So, probationary page… " He grinned as Kel made a face. "How long did you live with the Yamanis?" They headed back to their rooms.**

Buri glared at Neal, "Neal you and me will be having a practice round in the courts when this is over." Neal shook his head he. He then looked over at Numair and pointed to his mouth, begging with his eyes for the gag to be removed.

Numair, seeing this thought on it a moment, then removed Alanna from her shield bubble and the gag from Neal's mouth.

Neal quickly took the opportunity to speak to Buri. "Buri I was only saying it as a joke to Kel."

Buri just looked at him then went back to reading the book.

**"Six years," she replied. "Longer than I've lived in Tortall, actually."**

**"Can you speak—" Neal began as they stopped before Kel's door. He interrupted himself to sniff the air. "What's that smell?"**

**Kel leaned closer to her door and sniffed. "Urine," she said. There was a pool of yellowish liquid on the threshold. "I'd better clean it up."**

**"No," ordered Neal. "You have to change for supper. I'll tell Salma and meet you in the mess hall. Get moving." He trotted away, shaking his head.**

**Kel juggled her school materials until she could pull out her key, then opened the door. At least none of the urine had leaked into the room; that was a blessing.**

**She closed the door with a sigh. What a disappointing day! Parts of the morning's exercise had been interesting, but the classwork was simply tedious. What good would etiquette do a knight? And how could she be expected to stay awake all afternoon when she'd been running all morning? Couldn't she just do the physical training and forget learning a whole new set of bows?**

**It is not your place to question what the masters want you to learn, she told herself. Your place is to obey. It was what her Yamani teachers would have said if they had heard Kel's unhappy thoughts.**

**I just wish obedience was more exciting, she told them silently as she began to change her clothes for supper. Is that so much to ask?**

**Once they had filled their trays, Kel and Neal went to the spot they had claimed as their own and sat. Kel picked up her fork, but Neal shook his head. She looked around. All of the boys had taken their places, but no one had begun to eat. She raised her eyebrows at Neal, who whispered, "No Stump."**

"That is four weeks now Nealan," Wyldon said in a very dangerous voice.

**Everyone fidgeted; Kel's stomach growled. At last the door opened. The squires jumped to their feet and bowed. Someone murmured, "The king."**

**Then everyone was up and bowing as two men—the king and Lord Wyldon—walked up to Wyldon's small table. Kel stared at the ruler whose domain she wanted to serve so much. King Jonathan was the handsomest man she had ever seen. He was an inch shorter than Wyldon, but the training master faded beside him. King Jonathan's neatly trimmed hair and beard were coal-black, framing a face that was tan from a summer outdoors. His nose was straight and proud. His eyes were a deep, brilliant sapphire blue, framed by long lashes. On any other man those lashes might have seemed feminine; not on the king.**

Alanna and Raoul both burst out laughing, Alanna pointing at Jon as she bent in half laughing managed to stutter out "L..lo…long la lashes.. fe..ffem feminine …." Jon glared at Alanna and Raoul but decided to say nothing. Almost everyone else in the room was trying hard to hide smiles while Kit was making quit chirps.

**He grinned; white teeth flashed against the black of his beard. "Don't let me keep you from your meal," he said in a clear baritone voice. "I remember what it was like from my own days at those tables."**

**"If your majesty will give the blessing?" asked Wyldon, half bowing.**

**The king nodded. He stepped up to the lectern, raising his hands. "Bright Mithros, Great Mother, all gods powerful and small, grant us your blessings and guidance, we humbly pray." He brought his hands together, and his audience realized he'd finished.**

**"So mote it be," responded the pages and squires raggedly. They had expected a longer prayer.**

**"Now eat," said the king. "After you're done, I'd like a word." He and the training master sat at Lord Wyldon's table. The fourth-year page whose task it was to wait on them rushed to put food before the two men.**

**Kel eased back onto her seat, her thoughts all in a jumble. She tried to sort them out as she ate. She wished she could ask the king why he had allowed Lord Wyldon to put her on probation for a year. In that original proclamation ten years ago, it was written that girls could try for their knight's shield; probation had not been mentioned. It wasn't fair, so why had he allowed it? Could she serve a king who wasn't just with her? Chivalry worked two ways: you gave good service to your overlord, and in return your overlord honoured your service and treated you honestly. None of this adding extra conditions when all you wanted was the same chance everyone else got.**

**I suppose I'll never find the courage to ask him why flat out, she thought sadly. I'll just bow and be polite like a good ambassador's daughter. I bet Neal wouldn't hesitate to ask. She looked at her sponsor and smiled in spite of herself. Neal was eating his cake as his vegetables got cold on his plate.**

Jon realized that through this book, maybe when they could find the girl and talk to her; he would be able to try and answer some of her questions. Though how he was to do that? He had no idea that she was right and that he had been like Wyldon treating her unfairly.

**When everyone had finished, the king went to stand at the lectern again. "Don't get up," he said as everyone began to rise. "If memory serves me, your legs are starting to get sore right about now."**

**A number of the boys chuckled. Kel looked at her hands, which were curled into fists in her lap. If you can't treat me properly, I'm not going to laugh at your jokes, she thought stubbornly.**

**"I won't keep you long," the king promised. "I really just wanted to look at you.**

**"We survived the Immortals War, as they're calling it. We survived, but at a price. You know as well as I how many knights were lost, how many crippled. Thanks to Lord Wyldon, you older pages and squires were also able to fight, to defend our people. You did well—but I can see there are faces gone from this room who were present last fall. We shall miss those who are gone.**

**"Our enemies tried to destroy us. They failed—but we are hurt. Inside these walls, I can tell you, we are hurt. Our healing will be the work of years."**

**No one spoke. No one moved.**

**"Most importantly," he continued, speaking as he might to his closest friends, "it is the work of your years. Your studies, your bruises, your saddle sores, your nights spent doing mathematics, and history, and mapmaking. Your mastery of the arts of war, and of the laws of the realm."**

**King Jonathan paused for a moment, his eyes exploring their faces. Looking at him, Kel thought grudgingly, All right, he hasn't been fair, and he hasn't made Lord Wyldon treat me like the boys, but he's right about the work. I'll show them—I'll show him, and Lord Wyldon—that I'm as good for that work as anybody else. Like the emperor's Chosen warriors. I'll be an example. They'll be sorry they ever treated me unjustly.**

Looking back now, Wyldon believed that the girl did make good on her vow though he never would admit it out loud.

**"Each one of you here is a gem, all the more precious because we lost so many. Combined, you are the treasure of the kingdom. Treat yourselves as such. Work hard, study hard, and know your value. Guard your strength, make it grow. Build your stores of learning. Do it not for yourselves or your teachers or your monarchs. Do it for the kingdom. Do it for us all." He looked them over one last time, nodded briskly, then strode out of the hall. He was gone before any of them remembered to bow.**

**As unhappy as her thoughts had been, Kel still had to remember to take a breath once the king had left the room. His presence was even stronger than the emperor's had been. She could see how people might fight and die for him, and how he could stir such fierce loyalty in calm and level headed men like her own father. Just a look around the room showed her boys who were still caught up and breathless after what he'd said. Even Neal, who seemed so world-weary, looked eager.**

Alanna laughed outright. "Oh Jon you went from being feminine to inspiring loyalty. Oh your majesty how do you do it?" Thayet smiled at Alanna and Jon, watching him as he glared at Alanna.

**When he realized her eyes were on him, he smiled. "Isn't this a great time to be alive?" he asked. "Stormwings and spidrens to fight, beings from legends arrayed at our sides, people in need of protection and us being prepared to do it… Nothing happened in King Roald's time, and everything's happening now. We'll be sung about, our names will be passed on to our descendants."**

**"It's going to take a lot of work, that's for certain," she replied with a shrug.**

**Neal propped his chin on one hand and gazed at her. "You aren't a bit romantic, are you?" he asked, amused.**

**She sat back and stared at him. She was beginning to think that Neal required a keeper. He seemed to have the craziest ideas. "Romance? Isn't that love-stuff?" she asked finally.**

**"It's more than just love. It's color, and—and fire. You don't want things magnificent and filled with—with grandeur," he said, trying to make her understand. "You know, drama. Importance. Transcendent passion."**

**"I just want to be a knight," Kel retorted, putting her used tableware on her tray. "Eat your vegetables. They're good for you."**

**When she returned to her room, Kel found a small package on her desk. She looked it over. It was wrapped in canvas and addressed to her. The writing was ornate yet readable, like the style that market scribes used. The twine and canvas both were cheap quality, available to anyone with a few coppers to spend.**

**She drew her belt-knife to cut the twine, sawing until the cord parted. Kel put the blade down with a sigh. She would have to sharpen it yet again. It got dull very quickly. She hadn't thought to ask her parents for a new one before she left home.**

**Opening the canvas wrap, she found a plain wooden box inside. Shaking her head—she didn't like mysteries of any kind—Kel opened the box. Inside she found a sheathed belt-knife. Like the box, the sheath was plain, made of the same kind of black leather that wrapped the hilt. The blade itself was a very different matter: it was steel as fine as anything that came out of the Yamani Islands, so sharp it would slice a hair. Kel knew that because the first thing she did was pluck one from her head and draw it lightly over the edge.**

**Underneath the knife was a small leather bag with a whetstone. Like the sheath and box, the bag was ordinary. The stone was high-quality goods. It would put on an edge even her old knife would hold.**

**Inside the bag was a parchment tag. Written on it, in that same common lettering, was "Goddess bless."**

Alanna had to smile inwardly. She remembered sending that. As soon as George heard the words, Goddess bless he knew it was his lass that had sent the gift.

Neal—without thinking— wondered out loud "who would give her such a gift and not tell her it was from them?"

Jon had a feeling he knew who the gift was from and looking at his lioness. He thought he was right.

**Kel had to sit on the bed. Who would send such a fine gift? Anyone in her family would include a proper note. Neal was friendly, but she couldn't see him spending this kind of money on her. She couldn't see anyone doing it.**

**She thought it over until the first after-supper bell rang: she had classwork, and Neal had invited her to study with him. Fretting over the identity of the gift-giver would not be of much use for now. She removed her old knife and clipped the new one to her belt, smoothing it with careful fingers before she gathered her books. The gift had come the first day of real classes, which told her there was one thing she could be sure of: someone wished her well.**

**Kel smiled. Someone wanted the probationary page to succeed.**

Buri looked up from the book. "That is the end of the chapter."

Looking around the room, Buri suddenly had a thought. "Has anyone actually tried scrying on Keladry to see if she is ok and where she is?" Buri asked the room in general.

Suddenly Alanna, Numair and Jon all pulled objects out and looked into them to see if they could see her. Alanna got the closet with a very hazy picture of a camp somewhere in the forest with young one's training for some kind. Jon only got gray smoke and Numair got gray smoke with shapes moving in it.

Looking up all three said at the same time "I cannot see her can you?"

Realizing that no one could now see the girl, they knew they needed to carry on with the books fast so as to be able to leave the room to look for Kel.

Raoul took the book off Buri and turned to the next chapter.

Thank you all for reading please review. Next chapter up will have the meeting of some more of the shang and also the start of training there. So now is your last chance to get yourselves put in the first lot of shang. If you do want put in please pm me with the name you want you shang title, physical description, and attitude and any special notes you would also like add to your character.


	9. Chapter 9 Kel and the Shang camp

Thank you all for your reviews now I know I do not have everyone in this chapter who has asked to be in here with the Shang so please, please let me know via Pm your Shang description and if you have already passed the Shang ordeal or not.

For your Shang description please put  
>Shang name<br>Gender  
>Hair<br>Eyes  
>Temper<br>Body  
>any other details i.e. scars<p>

ok I think that is about all for this Authors note

_Previously on the beauty of hindsight…._

_Kel was just starting to think she could not continue on when they came to a large circular clearing with a lot of tents set up around the outside._

_Kel could not believe her eyes at the amount of people in the clearing._

_As she looked around she could see people of all ages and skin color; there were even a few babies there!_

_Cass could not help but laugh at the look on Kel's face as she looked around. Many of the younger children with free time ran up to the horses, yelling a welcome to __Cass. She was immediately flooded by high-pitched questions asked in their individual accents. "Why are ye not at the palace?" and "Didn't you like it when you was there?" along with —and almost everyone was wondering — "Where was Wolfe?"_

_Kel smiled as she watched her mentor and teacher be surrounded by young children before she could even dismount._

_Noticing the quiet, Kel looked around and saw that just about all activities had stopped and everyone was staring at them._

Chapter 5 Beginning

Noticing everyone staring at her Kel started to hide behind her Yamani mask, Cass seeing this very quickly yelled "If I see the Yamani face once more while you are not sparing I shall make you run for two hours straight at a time.".

Looking around Kel saw two young women about her age staring at her. Looking at them without wanting to be seen looking at them she saw the one on the right had long, wavy black hair tied back hastily with a leather thong. Her skin was slightly tanned -probably from the sun. Her large eyes were a dark chocolate brown they were fixed under slightly arched eyebrows and framed by long eyelashes. Her nose was short and broad and her pink lips were full. She drew back her arrow with long fingers. Kel thought it wouldn't be wise to get into a fist fight with this one to herself.

The girl on the left had shoulder length golden blonde Hair that was in loose ringlets. Looking up she quickly caught the Girls eyes to see a pair of beautiful baby blue eyes looking her over the eyes were fixed under a pair of delicate eyebrows and frame with lashes that any court lady would kill to have. Her nose almost looked like it could have belonged to a hawk, it was the only thing that offset her beauty well to most males it would any way, and her lips were full and a deep blood red. Watching the girl it looked as she moved as if she almost flew and that her feet never touched the ground. Kel had a feeling that this girl would be trouble.

Kel looked back up as a woman maybe only a few years older than herself and a man came towards her and Cass.

Cass looking up saw the Shang Lion and Shang Rabbit coming towards them, looking down at Kel from horseback she told Kel she was going to call Naida and for her to go with Naida.  
>Kel smiled as Cass called the young black haired girl over.<p>

"Naida could you please show Kel around while I talk to the Shang lion and Shang rabbit please" Cass asked the black haired girl.  
>"Of course Shang griffin." Nadia looked at the young girl who came into the camp with the Shang Griffin and smiled at her. Sticking her hand out to shake Kel's she told Kel "Hi I am Nadia Shang trainee to the Shang Lion and huntress extordinare, tho I do love to spend my time in or around the sea."<p>

Kel took the offered hand, "I am Keladry, new trainee to the Shang Griffin also known as the Probationary Page."  
>Nadia's head shot up at this comment, this girl was the one to try for her shield, the one who had been kicked out of page training.<p>

While they had been talking and introducing themselves they had slowly started to walk towards the other trainee's and the training yards. "I suppose I should really show you around " Naida told Kel, as they got closer to the others the young woman that was with Naida when Kel first saw them walked towards them, "who is the newbie Naida, someone who will leave when the going gets to tough I bet you, she doesn't look like much."

I am stone Kel thought to herself as the blonde kept her rant going on. As she ignored the other girl Kel looked around the large clearing most of the others about had gone back to what they were doing before they had arrived Kel watched at one girl taught the young children to fight, looking she thought she saw a toddler with the group of children.

"Hey you stop looking at my daughter" the blonde girl yelled at Kel.  
>Looking over at the blonde one Kel didn't think she could be older than fifteen.<br>Kel turned from the children to the blonde in front of her, looking her over ,looking her over kel just turned and walked away towards what appeared to be the edge of the forest . The girl Nadia followed behind her for a bit before taking her arm and slowly started to drag her around the camp.

Stopping for a minute Kel stop in one spot and slowly turned in a circle taking in the larger semi-circular clearing, from the path where her and the griffin first enter from to the far North of the clearing, slowly turning to the east of the clearing she could see in a more north easterly position a group of young men and boys working on their feet work. Still slowly turning clockwise to the east of the clearing she could see a sort of alcove of the forest where some tents were nestled almost in the forest from the clearing.  
>Following her the direction of her viewing of the clearing in a more southerly position she could see what could be described as fenced in practise area's with men woman and children of all ages working with swords, spear, and other weapons of choice. To the west of the clearing in another alcove of the forest she could see young children and others tending to livestock.<p>

Looking around Kel could not help but to notice that the clearing was almost magical in the making of it, so beautiful and green, the tree's blowing in a gentle wind. The grass soft and oh so green beneath her feet made her feel as though she was walking on clouds.

Sighing to her herself Kel looked again at her new home for however long she may be there, and knew that come the time for the changes that will come she will be at home.

A/N ok so I am sorry it is short and properly not very good but thought you may like to have this chapter anyways.


	10. Break time in chours

Sorry guys just a filler chapter

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><p><strong>Back in chorus<strong>

back in the capital of tortall all those who were locked in the room reading the books decided to take a meal and drinks break. AlAnna sat in the corner and tried to get out of the Great mother goddess what exactly was happening.

Jonathan was watching as everyone made their ways off in pairs or small groups to discuss what was really so important about Keladry of Mindalan, but knowing that the gods themselves were now involving themselves in the affairs then he knew she really must have been important for tortall but just how he was still waiting to see.

Daine and Numair were talking quietly between themselves with sky song chirping away as they talked. If the young dragonet had been able to communicate via mind speak she would have been able to tell the humans what was in the books, but she could not mind speak yet so she had to wait patiently not a strong point of hers.

Raoul, Buri, and Neal were in a group discussing the book while having a drink and some pastries Thayet joined them still not really talking to her husband, "she was better then all us boys, no matter what the stump says, she could out best any of us at any weapon" Neal was telling them hearing this Wyldon turned away and walked over to the king.

looking around the room George noticed the groups and knew that many were all talking about how good the young girl really was.

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><p><strong>an sorry it took so long and not the chapter you's were all expecting but it is 3.12am and am doing this on my iPad so pleas excuse mistakes and grammar. Will try get next chapter up soon as my muse has decided to come back lol fingers crosse they stay. **


	11. Chapter 11 Reading Chapter 5 of POTS

Hey guys long time well not so long lol but here is next chapter for you all, please if there is anyone out there who would like to beta please let me know as I really need a beta.

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><p>After the groups short break for food, drinks and conversation Raoul looked down at the book sitting on the table watching as everyone settled back down and into their seats, he picked the book up and began to read.<p>

_Chapter 5: Kel Backs Away_

**Five weeks after her arrival at the palace, Kel decided to write a letter to her family. It was hard to get started. That morning Peachblossom had stepped on her foot, bruising it even through her heavy riding boot. It seemed to hurt worse as the day wore on, distracting her in her classes and at supper. Only when she had propped the foot on a cushion placed on a stool did the throbbing ease enough to allow her to write.**

Diane had to laugh at that she remembered hearing about it, and how sorry peachblossom was. Even after she talked to him, she could not make the horse feel better about hurting the one rider that had shown him nothing but kindness.

_**Dear Papa and Mama,**_

_**Thank you for the package with the candied fruit and cakes. I shared with my sponsor, Nealan of Queenscove. He liked the cakes very much.**_

_**I can't believe that five whole weeks have gone. I am working hard. The teachers are strict. Master Oakbridge, the master of ceremonies, is teaching Yamani etiquette from Papa's book. I have to show everyone the submissions so much that I get dizzy. My favorite class is mathematics. I think the teacher, Master Ivor, is pleased with my work.**_

_**Tell Tilaine there are no banquets until Midwinter Festival so I haven't served the king at table yet. Pages get to practice serving Lord Wyldon and his guests at supper three days in a row. The new pages are last on the schedule so my turn won't come until late this year. I won't get to serve at the high table at Midwinter. Only senior pages get to wait on important people like the king.**_

_**I have a horse. He is a strawberry roan gelding named Peachblossom. He is too big for me, but I like him. He will be sold or killed if I do not keep him. He is very clever, and plays all kinds of tricks if I do not keep an eye on him.**_

_**Also, might I have some green tea from our stores? It is very expensive here, and I truly need something to drink at night as I do my classwork.**_

_**I did not pack enough dresses. We are allowed to wear our own clothes to supper unless there is a feast or something. Might I have some of my other gowns and some more shifts? And could they be let down an inch? I have grown a little.**_

_**Kel smiled at the last paragraph, knowing it would surprise her mother. She had always preferred breeches for wear at home, unless they had to don kimonos for an event at the emperor's court. These days, however, Kel wore dresses whenever possible. She was not about to let the pages forget that there was a girl in their midst. Gowns at supper were just one way to remind them.**_

_**What else could she tell her family? Kel stared at her letter, drumming her fingers. She decided to leave out that sometimes Prince Roald sat with her and Neal at supper. For one thing, it seemed like bragging. After all, the prince had made it a point to sit at meals with each of the pages at least once during the weeks since her arrival. That he sat with her and Neal the most could simply be due to his curiosity about the Yamanis. Kel suspected that Prince Roald wanted no one to guess that he was fretting about his coming marriage to Princess Chisakami. Instead she wrote:**_

_**Does Mama still have her sketchbook from the Islands? Her pictures are better than the ones in books in the palace libraries. Neal wants to know what things look like.**_

_**That was true enough. Neal was curious about the Yamanis and how they lived, and if the prince also looked at the sketches, so much the better.**_

_**She would not mention the bad things that happened, not the boys' tricks or Peachblossom's bad habits. That seemed too much like whining to her. Instead she shifted her foot to a better spot on the cushion and wrote on:**_

_**There are sparrows who come to me for bread and the seed I get from the stables. They are practically tame, and eat at my windowsill. One of them is a female with a pale spot on her head. I named her Crown. She scolds the others and she is always the first at the food, so I think of her as their queen. The sparrows get up before dawn, and it is nice to hear them chirp while I dress. There is an amazing lizard-bird skeleton that is actually alive in my class on plants and animals. He likes bread too. Lucky for me, Neal said we can ask the cooks for extra food so I am not forever trying to sneak rolls out of the mess hall!**_

**What else could she say? They didn't have to know that only Neal and the prince would talk to her, or that yesterday she had been doused in a bath of muddy water when she stepped out of her room. **

The woman all looked like they could murder someone at this point Jonathan had a feeling that the pages were in for a very rude awaking once they got out of here. He could see Alanna, Thayet, and Buri all visiting the practise courts while they were training to 'show them how it is really done'.

**Thanks to that she had been very late to breakfast, causing the boys to growl as she came in. For her lateness, Wyldon had given her a week of mucking out the stables from the first bell after supper until the second bell. She would just finish her letter with the cheerful bit about the sparrows.**

**Once she had finished, she turned to get her sealing wax and seal from her desk drawer. Her bruised foot slipped from its pillow to bang on the floor. She yelped.**

**Someone knocked on her door. "Kel, open up. It's me, Neal."**

**"Drat," she muttered, and went to let him in.**

**As he stepped into the room, he saw her lucky cats. "Why are those things waving?"**

**She smiled. "The legend is that a cat waving to the first emperor drew him out of the path of an enemy arrow. The Yamanis make hundreds of them. They're supposed to bring luck."**

Neal laughed remembering those damn cats he still swore that they watched him wherever you went in that room.**  
><strong>

**"Good thing you have so many, then," remarked Neal, picking one up and examining it.**

**Kel made a face at him. "Very funny." She hobbled over and put the cat back where it belonged.**

**"I thought you were limping in the mess," he said. "Have a seat and let me take a look."**

**"The door stays open," she warned him.**

**"Yes, yes, yes. Why are you holed up in here?" he demanded. "Come study with Roald and me."**

**"I will," she said, wincing as she lowered herself onto her bed. "I just had to finish a letter home. I wanted to thank them for the cakes and things."**

**Neal grabbed her footstool and sat by the bed. Gently he lifted her swollen foot onto his knees. "And you say Peachblossom wasn't trying to hurt you?" he said. Her foot was one large bruise.**

**"He wasn't," Kel retorted. "If he'd been trying, he'd have broken it. I really think he's starting to like—ow!"**

**"There's no reason why you should have this kind of pain," muttered Neal, inspecting her toes. "It figures. You aren't at all ticklish."**

**"Very funny," she retorted, eying him nervously. "What are you going to do?"**

**"Fix it," he said. "Foot bruises take forever to heal without help."**

**"I don't know," Kel protested, carefully drawing her foot away. "The Yamanis say it's better to live with pain. You have to let it roll away like water off a stone. That way it doesn't have any power over you."**

**"They sound like wonderful, cheerful people," commented Neal. "Any other useful warrior stoic arguments?"**

**Kel shook her head. "What would Lord Wyldon say if he knew? He told us knights work through pain all the time. He does it himself, you can see it hurts him to use that arm." Wyldon had shed his sling a week after the start of classes, and used his right arm now in weapons practice and riding.  
><strong>"I know you can heal page Nealan, but you were not permitted to heal Keladry and yet you did. Why?" Wyldon asked not happy with the older page. "Because Sir Wyldon she would not have been able to go to training the next day and you for sure would have kicked her out" he replied while thinking to himself 'you stupid arrogant stump'

"Sometimes there's no healer around, or others need a healer more than you."

**"Well, you're neither a stone nor a Yamani nor the Stump, in case you haven't noticed," Neal said tartly.  
><strong>

"Five weeks now Nealan" Lord Wyldon barked at the page, while the rest of the group laughed at the name most silently agreeing with Neal's assessment.

**"And it's foolish to stint on healing in a palace full of mages. Don't argue anymore." His voice was firm but his hands gentle as he drew her leg back onto his knees.**

**Kel thought of her Yamani teachers, who were taught as children to sit unmoving in icy rains for as much as an entire day. She was being weak, letting Neal do this. She ought to refuse the help, but she couldn't. Her foot hurt too much.**

No one knew what to think about that proclamation, how could a girl of only 10 years not want the pain to be gone? Alanna knew how poor Kel was feeling, but also glad in a way that everyone knew she was a girl. The trouble she had when she was a page and squire was that every healing she had she was worried her secret was going to be uncovered that she was a girl and this causing her to be sent home.

**Neal rested her foot on his hands and bowed his head. A soft light of such a deep green as to be nearly black shimmered between his palms and Kel's flesh. She felt it as coolness that sank under her skin, and sighed. The pounding in her foot began to soften until it had ceased. Her toes shrank back to their normal size as she watched.**

**"I can't believe you gave up learning to be a healer," Kel said when Neal released her foot. "I can't believe you're happier as a page. An old page, at that!"**

**Neal made a face. "I can name three who were older when they started."**

**"Please don't," Kel said hurriedly. Once Neal started to give lists of things, even a three-person list, he would not be content until he also mentioned what books he'd learned their names from, who wrote them, and who disagreed with the writers of the original books. It was far easier not to let him get started. She said, "And don't tell me you did all this to be one of the oldest first-year pages in the realm."**

"Hmmm I never really knew she felt like that, I will have to talk to Kel and ask why she thinks like that." Was herd around the room as Neal continued to mutter more things under his breath that no one could understand.

**Neal sighed, surveying his long-fingered hands. "On the Great Roll of Knights in the Hall of Crowns, twelve Queenscove knights are listed—only the Naxens have more. In The Scroll of Salute, King Jonathan the First wrote that four houses were the shield of Tortall: Legann, Naxen, ha Minch, and Queenscove. My brothers thought knighthood was the greatest service they could give."**

**"But it isn't the only service you can give," protested Kel. "You've got brains. You've got the magical Gift. Why are you bashing about here?"**

**"Keeping you out of trouble," Neal said cheerfully. "Try resting your weight on that." As Kel stood and walked under his gaze, he continued, "As to that ill-tempered nag of yours, I have an idea."**

**She was no scholar, but she knew when a subject was closed. "He's not a nag, and I won't take another horse."**

**"I know that," said Neal, exaggeratedly patient. "But perhaps we can have someone talk to him on your behalf. Come on."**

**He led her at a brisk walk through the classroom floor to a broad stair, up two stories, and down a hall. "The academics' rooms are on this floor and the one below," he explained. "Some of our teachers—the ones who aren't priests—live here. You won't get these two until later this year in magic class."**

**Neal strode to a door decorated with a bronze nameplate. Numair Salmalin was engraved in the metal. Below it, in letters more recently added, was the name Veralidaine Sarrasri. He rapped hard, then waited, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Why is he nervous, all of a sudden? wondered Kel.**

**The door opened a crack and a young woman peered out. Brown curls tumbled around a face lit by blue-gray eyes. Her mouth was soft, her chin roundly stubborn. "Neal, hello," she whispered with a smile. "Did you want Numair? He's sleeping. He was up all last night and half today on a working."**

**"Actually, Daine, I wanted to ask a favour of you," Neal replied, keeping his own voice to a whisper. He was even more nervous than he'd been a moment ago. "It's for my friend Kel, here. And her horse."**

**He likes her, Kel realized with amusement. A lot. She'd had experience with crushes—none of her own, of course, but her older sisters Adalia and Oranie were very prone to them.**

Neal's cheeks very quickly went bright red while Numair and Daine had small smiles grace their lips. Raoul who could not miss the chance the tease one of his Favourite captains cousin just had to comment "So page Neal here likes Lady Diane, my Lord Numair maybe you should ask him to a meeting on the practise courts" then couldn't help but burst in to roaring laughter which got a few of the others laughing as well. Finally becoming serious again Raoul turned back to the book he was reading and began to read again.

**Daine walked into the hall, closing the door gently behind her. "A horse?"**

**"He's contrary and mean," explained Neal, "and Kel here won't give him up. Keladry of Mindelan, this is Veralidaine Sarrasri. Daine, Kel."**

**Kel bowed.**

**"You're the one Bonedancer likes," Daine told her with a nod. "Lindhall says he's taken to you. And Neal doesn't like your horse."**

**Kel shrugged. She hardly knew what to say. She'd heard so many odd stories about this woman since her family had returned from the Yamani Islands.**

**"We were thinking—I was thinking—you might take a look," explained Neal. "He's got a mouth like stone—can it be fixed? And he's mean clear through."**

**"Let me see him," Daine replied. "What's his name?" Her eyes focused on Kel's, as if she could see into the girl's heart.**

**"Peachblossom," Kel said.**

**It wasn't until Daine smiled that Kel could look away from those blue-gray eyes. "Peachblossom? Not one I know, but then, I have little to do with the nobles' horses," she explained. "Let's have a look at him."**

**Neal did the talking as they walked down to Peachblossom's stable. He asked Daine a great many questions about people Kel did not know. She followed them, feeling out of place.**

**When they entered the stable, all of the horses came to the front of their stalls to greet Daine. Shyly Kel pointed her gelding out. Daine went to Peachblossom and stood nose to nose with him, her hands cupped under the horse's chin. Peachblossom's ears were pricked forward with interest. He was more relaxed with Daine than Kel had ever seen him.**

**Neal made the mistake of trying to stroke him. Back went the gelding's ears; up went his head. Neal snatched away his hand. "Excuse me," he muttered.**

**Ignoring him, Daine ran her hands over the horse, inspecting every inch. Kel watched the examination. Peachblossom seemed to like Daine's touch. When she was finished, he rested his nose against her gown, which was now covered with horsehair.**

**"What do you want of him?" Daine asked Kel. "I can soften his mouth, but if you're forever dragging at the rein, it'll just get hard again. Stefan's done wonders with these scars, though Peachblossom says they still pain him some. I can mend those, but if you make him fight and you spur him as some do their mounts, he'll be scarred again. And I can't change his nature for you. Peachblossom is who he is; no one has the right to take that away."**

**"I wouldn't ask it," Kel replied firmly. "We get on all right." Neal snorted. Kel ignored him, telling Daine, "If he didn't hurt from his scars, that might help, and softening his mouth would be a blessing. I'm not one for using the rein hard."**

**"That's what he says. He also says that if you promise never to use spurs, he'll mind his manners a bit more."**

**"She has to have spurs when we get to riding in armor," Neal pointed out. "The St—Lord Wyldon makes all the third- and fourth-years wear them."**

**"There are spurs that don't cut the horse," said Daine quietly. "Peachblossom will settle for those. You really want to keep him?"**

**Kel shrugged. "It's drawing carts or death if I don't."**

**"I'll buy him," Daine offered. "I think I have enough. I'd take him off your hands and find you a better mount."**

**Peachblossom turned his head away from Daine to look at Kel. She felt a pang at the thought of losing him. She admired the big gelding's independence, the way he didn't seem to care if people liked him or not. She wished she could be more like that. Peachblossom would be happier with someone who could talk to him, though. Daine would be good to him.**

Daine smiled remembering this exact moment and how Peachblossom didn't want his 2 legger to leave him he was just starting to like her.

**Peachblossom put two hooves back, then two more. Another step, and he could turn away from Daine to face Kel. His ears twitched forward. When Kel, unbelieving, held out her open hand—as Neal winced—Peachblossom lowered his head and softly lipped her palm.**

**"That's that," remarked Daine. "He says you need looking after."**

**"I never thought I'd end up agreeing with a horse," murmured Neal.**

**Peachblossom's ears went flat. He blew a wad of spit onto Neal's shirt.**

**"He also says because he will let Kel ride him doesn't mean he has to be nice to everyone," Daine remarked, her eyes twinkling. "Come to me, Peachblossom. We've still your hurts to mend." To Kel she added, "I'll teach him spoken commands for when you need him to go faster. You won't need spurs with those."**

**Neal walked Daine back to her rooms. Kel returned to the page's wing alone, feeling very much in the way and thinking of the classwork on her desk. On the way she stopped at the mess hall kitchen. She helped herself to an apple and begged two rolls for her sparrows from a cook.**

**She was near her room when voices drew her attention. They came from the hall ahead. "Pages are supposed to be graceful, not clumsy." Kel knew Joren's mocking tones well. She froze.**

Everyone apart from Neal had a startled look on their faces both Jonathan and Wyldon were concerned, without even knowing what exactly was going to happen.

**"Clumsy?" She also knew Merric's voice.**

**Something clattered and crashed; a boy yelped. Kel turned into the hall to see what was going on.**

**Three older pages stood over Merric, who had fallen. Apparently he'd been carrying a heavy pitcher and cups on a tray. Now milk had splashed everywhere and the dishes lay in pieces.**

**"Don't just grovel there," jeered Vinson, one of Joren's friends. "Stand and mop it up."**

**"Fetch us another pitcher of milk, and fresh cups," added Joren. "How can we study if we are thirsty?"**

**Kel clenched her fists. It was the custom that Anders had described, the one in which older pages made first-years do errands to earn their right to be considered true pages. Kel had done such errands herself for the prince. Most senior pages understood that first-years had little time for their work and gave them tasks that were small and quickly done. But she'd heard whispers that Joren liked the custom a bit too much, and liked to add a bit of pain to his errands.**

**Merric stood, dripping milk, his pale face crimson with shame. "I'll need cloths," he said.**

**Joren planted his hand on the smaller boy's back and shoved. Merric's feet slipped; he flew forward, landing on his face again. "Use what you're wearing for cloths," Joren said merrily. "They're doing well enough so far!"**

**"And shut up while you're at it," added Vinson.**

Wyldon hearing this was beginning to wonder if maybe he had been wrong about the girl and all the fights. Jonathan knowing somehow what was going to happen suddenly looked at the training master, "Are these the fights you were talking about her starting Wyldon? Where by the sounds of it she is going to defend that page against not hazing but outright bullying which is not tolerated at all?". Wyldon looked at the King "I cannot honestly tell you that my lord as there was many times the girl was sent to me for fighting". Raoul and Alanna both looked at them both agreeing silently again that when this was over they were retiring and going to find the girl and help her in any way she need. Raoul turned back to the book and began to read again, feeling dread in what was going to happen.

**The third member of their trio, Zahir, caught sight of Kel. He elbowed Joren and pointed to her.**

**"Get mopping," Joren ordered Merric. **

**"Every drop, mind." He turned to Kel. "What's the matter with you, probationer?" he demanded coldly.**

**Kel clenched her fists. "This is servants' work," she said. "It has nothing to do with being a page and fetching and carrying for people. It isn't what's meant by earning our way."**

**Joren took a step forward. "This is none of your affair—unless you want what he's getting."**

**Merric looked at Kel, then away. Kel remained where she was, frozen with indecision. They were older, taller, and faster, with every muscle trained hard by Lord Wyldon. These student warriors would outrank her in the Yamani Islands. There she would owe them her obedience.**

**In Yaman, picking on a younger warrior would be considered a waste of the time owed to your overlord, she thought numbly.**

Very wisely put thought Jonathan wondering again where the training master went wrong.

**If I interfere, I might give Lord Wyldon an excuse to get rid of me, she realized.**

**Joren's face went even harder. He came down the hall, fists raised.**

**For the first time in her life, Keladry of Mindelan ran from a fight with a bully. Reaching the safety of her room, she locked the door behind her. Even there, she thought she could still hear the laughter that had followed her escape.**

**Somehow she managed a little classwork before the bell rang for bed. She got into her nightdress and crawled under the covers, shivering. Over and over she saw the scene in her mind, with poor Merric outnumbered and unable to fight back. He'd been right to be afraid, she told herself repeatedly. She'd been right to be afraid. Giving way to superior force was how their world worked. Someday she and Merric both would show Joren and his crew how it felt to be humiliated and afraid.**

**So, if she thought they would fear her, why didn't she feel better? She'd done the wise thing. Hadn't she?**

**You could tell on them, a voice whispered in her heart. You know they tripped Merric deliberately. No one is supposed to take the earning-your-way custom that far.**

**She flinched at the thought. Pages were not tattletales. They dealt with problems or suffered in silence. Everyone would despise her for breaking that unwritten law. Wyldon would despise her. Her brothers would shake their heads in shame. She would be sent home.**

**You saw a bad thing done and you didn't raise a hand or speak out, argued her better self. Could you swear a knight's oath, knowing that you once let bullies get away with it?**

How right she would be Alanna thought to herself. Myles was thinking of all the times in class and the talks about the code of chivalry.

**If I get in fights, won't Lord Wyldon use that as an excuse to be rid of me?**

**Perhaps not. She'd heard Anders's stories. Pages were expected to fight, win or lose, and take the punishments doled out. Alanna the Lioness was in fights as a page. She got punished for them all. She took her punishment and never gave up the names of those she'd fought with. That was how things were done.**

**Of course none of them had been on probation. Only Keladry of Mindelan was served that bowl of sour soup.**

**Stop feeling sorry for yourself! she scolded, trying to find a spot in her bed that wasn't hot from her thrashing around. We don't argue with custom; we obey it. Wiser people than us started such things, it's as simple as that.**

**But what if custom is wrong? demanded the part of her that believed in the code of chivalry. A knight must set things right.**

Raoul could not help but think that she was only 10 yet she was thinking and acting on thoughts people more older than her have still yet to understand.

**I'm not a knight yet, she told herself, punching a pillow that seemed determined to smother her. I'm not even a real page. I'll worry about things like that when I am.**

**Shouldn't I worry about them all along? If I don't worry about them as a page or a squire, why should I care when I am a knight?**

**At last she slept.**

**The first thing she noticed that was not part of her unhappy night was the prickle of tiny claws on her hand. She opened her eyes and looked down. A sparrow—the female with the spot on her head that Kel had named Crown—stood on her hand, looking at her. Crown turned her head this way and that, as if trying to decide what to do with this great lazy girl who lay abed when the sun was about to rise.**

**Kel looked at her windows, certain she had not opened the lower set of shutters the night before. She was right. Only the small upper shutters were open. Crown had flown in through those, seeing well enough in the pre-dawn glow to land safely on Kel.**

**It seemed the bird had exhausted her supply of patience. She jumped onto Kel's chin and pecked her gently on the nose.**

**"All right," Kel croaked. At the first movement of her chin, the bird hopped back to her chest. "Tell your friends I'm coming."**

**Crown flew up and out of the open shutters, for all the world as if she had understood.**

**Neal said the animals around here are strange, Kel thought, tossing her blankets aside. I guess he's right.**

**Lurching to the windows, she opened the lower shutters. The sparrow flock, brown and tan females and black-collared males alike, sat on the sill in a line, watching her.**

**"I hope you had a better night than I did," Kel told them, getting her rolls and seed.**

**In the mess hall, Neal squinted at her as she toyed with her breakfast. "You look as bad as I feel," he croaked. "Where's the sunny smile? The 'Hello, Neal, isn't it a wonderful day to be alive in the royal palace?' pain-in-the-bum greeting I usually get?"**

**Kel considered shoving her porridge into his face and decided against it. "I don't know," she said at last. "Why don't you go look for it?"**

At that there was a small round of laugher from some in the room, tough others were still thinking about what had happened earlier.

**Neal sat up. "Ouch. It bites."**

**"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded sharply, tired of hiding the way she felt. "That I'll say 'yes' and 'so mote' to anything, smile and go along no matter what? Never argue, never complain?"**

**Neal looked more awake with every word. He ran his fingers through his hair. "What's gotten into you? Did somebody put hot peppers in your wash water?"**

**"Nothing." Kel slammed her bowl onto her tray and carried it to the servants.**

**Neal stopped her at the mess door. "Did anything happen last night after you left?"**

**"Nothing," she said, biting off the words. "Not one gods-blest thing." She left him to finish breakfast and went back to her room for her practice jacket.**

**She was halfway there when Cleon stopped her. He was a third-year page, a joker who still sported a tan from days spent in his father's fields, bringing in the harvest.**

**"Page, I need my archer's glove," he told her with a grin. "Run to my room and fetch it." When Kel frowned at him, not wanting to be bothered just then, he flapped his hands. "Run along, now. Don't take all day. You don't want punishment duty for being late."**

**As far as she knew, Cleon wasn't one of Joren's friends. He was just being a pain; the broad grin on his face told her that much.**

**What if I refused? She wondered, even as her feet started down the hall, carrying the rest of her with them. What could he do to me?**

**But she didn't refuse. If I'm to be a coward when I think someone goes too far with the custom, I might as well be one all the time, she thought bitterly. She ran to do as she was bid.**

**She caught up to Cleon as the pages were filing into their first practice of the day, and thrust his archery glove into his face. "Very good," he said, taking it. "You know, we all thought you wouldn't last this long."**

**Kel stared at him, thinking, what an odd thing to say! "Last this long today, or last this long for five weeks?" she asked.**

**"In training. You know." He spread his arms, taking in their surroundings. "Everyone had bets on that you'd run home before a week was up." He shook his head, smiling. "You might want to run now, while you still have the strength. Lord Wyldon will never let you stay."**

**"He might surprise you," Kel retorted, keeping her face Yamani-smooth.**

**Cleon smiled oddly. "He never surprises anyone." He sauntered into the yard.**

**Maybe he doesn't know Lord Wyldon as well as he thinks he does, Kel thought grimly as she followed him through the gate. I have to believe that.**

Raoul looked at the room "well that's the end of that chapter". Alanna suddenly took a hold of her necklace and began to quietly mummer to the great mother goddess, though no one could hear what she was saying.

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><p><strong>Well girls and boys that is the next chapter done sorry for the wait. This chapter has not been Beta as my Beta has disappeared so all mistakes are my own. Fingers crossed next chapter will be up sooner. Though these chapter seem to be taking longer as I am having trouble doing them.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12 meeting the Shang trainers

Hey guys look 2nd up date in 2 days yaness lol

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><p><em>Previously …<em>

_Stopping for a minute Kel stop in one spot, and slowly turned in a circle taking in the larger semi-circular clearing, from the path where she and the griffin first enter from to the far North of the clearing. slowly turning to the east of the clearing she could see in a more north easterly position a group of young men and boys working on their feet work. Still slowly turning clockwise to the east of the clearing she could see a sort of alcove of the forest where some tents were nestled almost in the forest from the clearing.  
>Following her the direction of her viewing of the clearing in a more southerly position she could see what could be described as fenced in practise area's with men woman and children of all ages working with swords, spear, and other weapons of choice. To the west of the clearing in another alcove of the forest she could see young children and others tending to livestock.<em>

_Looking around Kel could not help but to notice that the clearing was almost magical in the making of it, so beautiful and green, the tree's blowing in a gentle wind. The grass soft and oh so green beneath her feet made her feel as though she was walking on clouds._

_Sighing to her herself Kel looked again at her new home for however long she may be there, and knew that come the time for the changes that will come she will be at home._

Chapter 6 making new friends

Walking around again Kel finally saw Cass leave where she was talking with the other Shang warriors, seeing Kel look her way she beckoned her to come over to them.

Making her way to the Shang warriors Kel fought to keep her calm mask on as the stares still followed her from the other trainees, quickly remembering Cass's words Kel let her mask drop to show that she was not completely comfortable with all the stares. Cass must have seen because Kel got a "very good Kel you are learning fast at least now you don't have to run as many laps as you would have if you had of held that stupid mask any longer."

"Kel I would like you to meet the Shang lion and the Shang Rabbit both run this particular training camp together. They are here to help train you and learn all you need to know before you take your Shang ordeal." Kel looked up at the two Shang in front of her and bowed to them in the Yamani traditions noticing that both had the features of Yamani's.

The Shan Lion looked shocked for a moment before he in turn bowed to Kel speaking in Yamani he asked, "Do I have the honor of talking to Lady Ilane of Mindelan's daughter?" Kel just nodded knowing that of course they would have heard from home about her mother. Hearing what was being said the rabbit suddenly took a closer look at the young girl, "Were you trained while in the islands?" again Kel nodded and answered "Yes I was trained by the imperial majesties training master Nariko for six years."

Both training masters looked at the Griffin, "For one so old, she must be very important for the gods to make sure we train her. Her training will be hard. Though in all fairness we believe that her training will be in ways easier as she has already had the six years of training with Nariko."

"I have also had a year's training at the palace, just learning what the Shang wildcat and the Shang Horse teach the pages." Kel quickly comment. Hearing this all three Shang warriors looked at Kel. The Shang lion decided that maybe the best way to know how to train the girl was to see where she was at with her training, but this needed going after they talked about what the gods had told her.

"Let us go inside the tent and talk, maybe young one you could tell us if the gods will allow it what it was they have told you." Turning to enter the tent Kel suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder looking up she saw faithful sitting on her shoulder watching the older Shang's.

"You may tell then of the two paths that you walked down with the gods, but you cannot speak about the gifts they bestowed on your weapons." Faithful told her. Nodding her understand Kel and Shang's entered the tent.

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><p>An and that my dears is where I am going to leave this chapter now for big long authors note of replies and thanks to all who have reviewed. In addition, if you liked the TV series Roswell I have a fan fic I am writing for that please even if you never saw them please check it out and let me know what you think.

Again, please review and let me know what ya all think.

Alyss Mainwaring review chapter 4. May 27, 2012 - Thank you and I am glad you are enjoying the story so far. Yes the Shang Dingo will make an appearance

Xyxyxy11 chapter 7 . May 28, 2012 – Thank you and yes the chapters are coming up and already Wyldon is starting to regret his decision

ileleana chapter 7 . May 28, 2012 – I am glad you like her lol never know your character may get her for training with Kel lol

AmazingAlex0818 chapter 7. Jun 1, 2012 – yes I will be I am still tossing up if I also do the other three books as well

Avalonemyst chapter 2. Jun 9, 2012 – Thank you and I promise to I may take a while between some updates but I will get there lol.

chapter 4. Jun 9, 2012 – She had to lol I am going to give her a role in locating Kel but shhhh lol don't want to give away all my secrets

papiliokaze chapter 7 . Jul 20, 2012 – thank you and I will be

Guest chapter 7 . Jul 23, 2012 – don't worry there will be more lol I promise

Rianna Hunter chapter 7 . Aug 10, 2012 – don't worry it will happen and maybe Jon stops her maybe he doesn't and also who will help her hmmm?

AmazingAlex0818 chapter 8 . Oct 1, 2012 – I am not forgetting the story I promise and I never will until it is finished.

Avalonemyst chapter 8 . Nov 13, 2012 – I think I am starting to see a pattern here lol

Ortholeine chapter 8 . Nov 13, 2012 – it is coming I promise

MakenziRose chapter 8 . Nov 13, 2012 – thank you and glad you are excited and hope this chapter helps make up for the lack of updates.

wazzzzzzup chapter 8 . Nov 19, 2012 – sorry for the long wait but it is up.

Hedgi chapter 8 . Nov 27, 2012 – I am glad you like it

Guest chapter 8 . Nov 27, 2012 - I am glad you like it and oh poor Neal 5 weeks already and only into chapter 5 lol and Oakbridge wont be the only one I promise

Guest chapter 3 . Nov 30, 2012 - I can't do that not with the two paths she walked of her future but maybe I could incorporate her saving them some how

Liz chapter 8 . Dec 14, 2012 – thank you so much

LeMaMo chapter 1 . Dec 28, 2012 – I got it lol and I promise more to come

Topaz B. Rainheart chapter 4 . Jan 14, 2013 – Thank you and at the moment my chapters properly are not the best but I don't know where my Beta ran away to.

chapter 8 . Feb 4, 2013 – thank you very much

ziva10 chapter 8 . Feb 7, 2013 – thank you I thought it may have made it more interesting I got the idea from Jean M Auels Valley of horses

TheRealProtector chapter 2 . Feb 14, 2013 – lol I know what you mean I hope I can keep it interesting for you.

chapter 3 . Feb 14, 2013 - wait and see you never know what will happen lol

chapter 5 . Feb 14, 2013 – Kel needs to learn and fast she has a country to save and I thought he could come back for a bit to help Kel out I miss the poor kitty lol

chapter 6 . Feb 14, 2013 - I am glad lol and hope you keep enjoying them

Coffebreak101 chapter 8 . Apr 17, 2013 – I hope you enjoy the rest to come

alanna9631 chapter 8 . Jul 12, 2013 – they are coming I promise you

chapter 10 . Jul 24, 2013 – it is still semi there but I am getting the chapters out fast look 2 in 2 days lol

chapter 9 . Jul 25, 2013 – I am sorry they are coming

chapter 1 . Sep 12, 2013 – again I am sorry

chapter 2 . Nov 3, 2013 - Again sorry

chapter 7 . Jan 13, 2014 – I am back and fingers crossed the next chapters will come out faster

kimdras chapter 8 . Jul 19, 2013 – it is awesome to know how much you like the story

hollyhwrites chapter 10 . Jul 25, 2013 – thank you and you are welcome

ann chapter 10 . Mar 8, 2014 – yep new chapter and more to come

FluffyFurball chapter 10 . Mar 11, 2014 – lol look more hehe

PyschKey chapter 11 . Mar 23, 2014 – thank you it is hard and I really don't like upsetting the flow of the books so putting the comments in, is a very hard balance

Arlewena chapter 11 . Mar 23, 2014 – thank you and look new chapter the next day lol

sakura-blossom62 chapter 11 . Mar 23, 2014 – fingers crossed I do to and thank you


	13. Chapter 13 Reading Chapter 6 first test

A/N Here is the next chapter

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><p>Alanna took the book from Raoul and turning the page began to read.<p>

_Chapter 6: The Lance_

**That morning, when the pages arrived at the stable, new equipment had been placed beside their normal gear. The most important item, a saddle, boasted a high, padded front and back.**

**Extra hands had come to show the first-years how to handle the new items: saddle, reins, double girths, and breast collars. Kel was glad to see that the man in Peachblossom's stall was the hostler Stefan. He was no common stable hand, yet he didn't seem to mind teaching her. Once he'd put the new saddle on her gelding and fastened every strap, he removed it and told Kel to try. Peachblossom sighed and shifted on his feet, just as Kel did when she was tired of dress fittings.**

Daine Laughed, "I remember hearing all the horse's complaints about this, all the time it took and the taking of and putting on of the saddles."

**"Peachblossom says you didn't want Daine changing him," Stefan remarked, eyes following Kel as she positioned the saddle.**

**"She wouldn't do it," wheezed Kel. The new gear was heavy.**

"Of course I wouldn't," Daine half yelled at the book. "That is no way to treat anyone."

**"But you didn't want her to," Stefan repeated.**

**Kel shrugged. "It seemed bad. Like, I don't know, like taking his soul."**

"She is very wise for such a young one she reminds me a lot of you Alanna at that age." Myles remarked smiling at his adoptive daughter.

**"Not that buckle, the one next to it," Stefan told her a minute later, pointing.**

**Red-faced, Kel released the strap in her fingers and picked up the right one.**

**"He also says you promised not to rowel him."**

"Well that is not a promise that she could have made, IF she had been allowed to stay she would have been made to wear spurs." Wyldon remarked. "YOU ARE A MEAN AND NASTY PERSON TO TREAT THE PEOPLE THAT WAY." Daine yelled glaring at Wyldon Kitten started to growl at the training master.

Jonathan thought about the debate going on between is resident training master and his wild mage realising that maybe Daine had a point and that Wyldon may need to reconsider some of this training methods with the pages. He would bring this to his attention after they were out of here.

**Kel stared at the bandy-legged hostler, not sure what he meant. Then she remembered: rowel was another name for the pointed star-shaped type of spur favored by many knights. "That's right," she said, checking the girths.**

**"How will you get him to go faster?" Stefan wanted to know.**

**"She gave me words to say to him," replied Kel.**

**Stefan nodded. "She's clever, that Daine." He cleared his throat and said gruffly, "I didn't think you'd be one for the spur. Try to mount, now."**

George and Alanna both laughed at this, trust ol' Stefan to say that Daine was clever, but not call himself that.

**That took practice. Kel banged her leg a few times before she managed to clear the high back. "I have to do this in armor?" she asked Stefan, who only grinned. **

Raoul, Alanna, and Jonathan all remembered their lessons with the tilting saddles from not so long ago and know that doing it in armour is even harder than just the practising.

**Kel wriggled in the saddle, testing her ability to move once she was seated. Peachblossom waited patiently for her to settle down. "About Peachblossom—I'd like to know who treated him so badly," she added, gathering her reins.**

**The little man chuckled. "Don't fret about that," he replied. "Leave it to me. The one that did it, he won't abuse another mount. You have my word." He slapped Peachblossom on the rear, sending the gelding out of the stall.**

Jonathan looked at Wyldon "do you know who treated a mount so bad Wyldon?" Wyldon just shook his head if he knew that then he would teach that knight a few lessons himself, but alas he didn't know and maybe never will especially now with peachblossom gone with the girl to gods only know where.

**Once outside, Kel leaned down and told the horse, "I think I'll stay on his good side. Just in case."**

**As usual, she was the last page to reach the long riding yard. Wyldon stood just inside the gate, a row of lances set against the fence beside him. Joren stood there, too. As each page rode by, Joren passed a lance up to him. He even passed one to Neal. By the time Kel reached Joren, only one of the twelve-foot-long weapons remained. Joren ignored her and mounted his horse.**

"Stupid Joren I should have run a sword thought him on the practise fields, but no Kel wouldn't let me," Grumbled a disgruntled Neal. Even though he knew that Kel worked hard with the weight lance he knew that if she had, had a proper lance that it would not have taken her as long to master it.

**"Take it," Wyldon ordered Kel, with a sharp nod at the lance.**

**Leaning down, she gripped the weapon and dragged it to her. It was like a very long staff in most ways. There was an indented grip cut into the wood eighteen inches from the butt, and the wood above the grip flared out to protect the bearer's hand. This weapon should never slide out of her hold. The lance was heavier than a staff, too. Kel gritted her teeth and settled the butt of the lance on the edge of her stirrup, as Lord Wyldon did.**

"What is she talking about, shows how much of a weakling she really was." Wyldon commented smirking thinking that maybe this will show that she was not cut out to be a page. Neal hearing this took a flying leap from his seat straight at the training master, Jonathan sitting between the two was knocked of his chair as the page went past him. Seeing where this was heading Jon grabbed the young page before he could fully attack his training master.

**The pages lined up. As Kel guided Peachblossom into line beside Seaver, Wyldon rode to stand in front of them.**

**"Before the immortals came, there was a clamor to cut jousting from tournaments," he said loudly. "It was said to be too risky. Even with a coromanel, a wide-faced piece, on the lance tip, to soften the impact, it was too dangerous. So few battles are fought between mounted knights, it was said. It was time to retire the lance. Tradition must change to come in step with modern times."**

"Yet you couldn't do that with training women as well as men to be knights, a bit hypocritical do you not think Wyldon." Alanna asked the training master with a saccharine smile. Jonathan, Raoul, and everyone else in the room quietly agreed with Alanna if they did not even admit it aloud.

**Wyldon turned his mount toward the far end of the field. There Kel saw five quintains-dummies painted like warriors and set on wooden posts. In place of each quintain's left arm was a wooden shield with a target circle painted on it. In place of the right arm was a pole weighted at the end by a sandbag.**

**Lord Wyldon braced his lance under his right arm and lowered it until it was level. Once in place, it pointed at an angle across the mare's withers, into the air on Wyldon's left.**

**"My lord?" asked Merric, raising a hand.**

**Lord Wyldon raised his eyebrows.**

**"Shouldn't it stick out straight in front of you, not across your saddle horn?"**

Everyone who had used lances in the room, laughed at this knowing how that would go down, with both the horse and the rider when the rider smacked the horse with lance.

**The older pages chuckled; Merric turned bright red at their amusement.**

**"Have you seen many tournaments?" Lord Wyldon inquired.**

**Merric shook his head, still blushing. "None, my lord."**

**"I could do it that way," the training master said. "Of course, I'd point my knee into the open air at my enemy's side. I'd risk walloping my own mount in the head. I assure you, they don't care for that. And once my lance goes past my opponent, what would happen?"**

Alanna had to admit that Wyldon did have a point with telling the pages the truth with no sugar-coating.

**Merric shook his head, speechless.**

**"Your horse rams your opponent's mount head on," Prince Roald said quietly. "Chances are you wouldn't be able to get him out of the way in time."**

"I have a very smart Son," Jon announced to the room with a proud smile that even Thyette wore.

**"Aim for your opponent's chest with the lance pointed straight ahead, and by the time you've hit him, you cannot turn your horse aside," Lord Wyldon told them. "Strike his shield at the right point, and the power of your blow will either break the shield or drive him all the way out of the saddle—and you can still turn your mount away from the enemy. Do you understand now?" he asked Merric.**

Raoul nodded many an opponent he had sent flying in tournaments.

**The boy nodded.**

**"Always leave an escape route for your charger," Lord Wyldon said. **

"I will give you your dues Lord Wyldon, you do look after your animals they have no complaints and always sing your praises." Daine Admitted to the group while giving Wyldon a small amount of praise.

**He turned to face the quintain. Kicking his horse into a run, he thundered down on the target. As he neared it, he stood and leaned forward. His lance tip struck the circle painted on the quintain's shield. The dummy swung a half turn, and Wyldon thundered by. At the end of the yard, he turned his bay gelding, riding back to the line of pages.**

**"What is the best defense for a lone knight against a giant?" he cried.**

**"The lance!" shouted the older pages.**

**"What is the best defense against an ogre?" he demanded.**

**"The lance!" shouted all of the pages.**

**"What is the best defense against a spidren?" he wanted to know.**

**"A lance!" yelled his audience.**

**"Against a charging line of foot soldiers?" Now the riding master joined them, carrying his own lance.**

**"A lance!" cried everyone.**

**"If the foot soldiers aren't armed with pikes, anyway," Kel heard Neal mutter.**

**Kel blinked. Neal was right. Pikes were heavy spears fourteen feet or longer. Used properly, they were defeat for horsemen, who speared their mounts on the pikes before they got within striking distance of the pikemen.**

**Wyldon halted in front of them. "A knight these days relies on the lance as much as the sword," he said quietly. "To use it, you must perfect both horsemanship and weapon. If you hit the quintain"—he pointed to the swinging dummy—"anywhere but that target circle, you will get a buffet from the sandbag to make the lesson stick. And it must stick. Immortals and enemy infantry do not forgive mistakes."**

Everyone nodded in agreement that is true they wouldn't.

**He dismounted and waved a fourth-year page to a line of chalk drawn across the near end of the yard. "I want you new lads up on this line. Watch the older ones as they charge. Notice they change position as they approach the target. See how the lance is couched, and gripped."**

**The first-years obeyed. They watched sharply as page after page took his place on the line, settled his lance, and set his horse at the quintain. The fourth-year pages hit their target almost every time, but the younger the rider, the more likely it was that the sandbag would spin around and thump him as he rode by. At last it was the turn of the first-year pages. Kel grew more and more nervous, wiping sweaty palms on her sturdy practice clothes. She knew before he struck the target that Neal would miss the circle. She covered her eyes as the sandbag thudded into his back. At least he couldn't be knocked out of the new saddle and onto the ground.**

Neal sent a disappointed look at the book, "How could she believe so little in me as to think that I would not even hit the target before I did?" Alanna hearing his muttered question looked up, "Because she was watching, Kel obviously had very good sight to see that you were not going to hit the target before you even got close." Neal just glared at the woman Knight and slouched down in his chair.

**We thank the gods for the blessings we have, she thought gloomily, and toed Peachblossom over to the chalk line. Behind her the senior pages lined up. They would ride at the quintain again once she was done.**

**Wyldon strode over briskly. He resettled Kel's grip on the lance with impersonal hands, checked her saddle, and stood away at last. "The lance will slide back when you strike," he told her as he'd told the other first-years. "Let it. Now, lower it across your chest, till it points out over your mount's left shoulder. Once it's down, keep that point level!"**

**Kel struggled to raise the lance. It was quite happy to be lowered, and agonizingly hard to raise.**

"Why is she having such problems with the weight?" Jon asked the room in general interrupting Alanna again. "Because she is a woman and the weight though it is light is just too heavy for a woman to lift." Wyldon answered forgetting for a moment that he was in a room with not one but four fighting woman. Alanna hearing this finally snapped, "I challenge you Wyldon of Cavall to a joust one we leave this room." "I will face you after Alanna" Buri added after Alanna had finished her challenge.

"Alanna ..." Jonathan started but was quickly cut off by his champion. "No Jonathan this has gone on long enough he needs to learn and the way he is saying things about this nook it is like he will never accept that women can be Knights. What is he going to do when the next girl wishes to be a page? Kick them out as well?" Jonathan knew he was beaten and sat back in defeat, Neal just smiled and leaned closer to the King whispering, "Just wait you Majesty, you will soon find out something to make you rethink Alanna's challenge and just about everyone's views on my Lord Wyldon."

**"Go!" ordered Wyldon.**

**Kel leaned forward, her back and shoulder muscles protesting as she fought to keep the lance tip from sagging. "Charge," she ordered Peachblossom.**

**The gelding took off, his speed thrusting Kel against the back of her saddle.**

**"Get your point up! Get it up!" cried Wyldon in a battlefield roar that cut through the thunder of Peachblossom's hooves. "Raise your point!"**

**Kel fought the weapon and her fear of the horse. Never had she suspected that a full gallop on Peachblossom would feel like riding an avalanche. I should have just said, "Go faster," she thought weakly as the target loomed. Wrestling with the lance, she just clipped the shields edge. The quintain spun. The sandbag crashed into her side as Peachblossom thundered by. Kel dragged on the reins as hard as she would have the day before. Peachblossom, already slowing, reared in protest against the pain in his newly soft mouth. The back on the jousting saddle kept her in her seat, just barely. Peachblossom walked backward, doing his best to keep her from falling. Kel loosened the reins, taking the pressure off the bit. Slowly the horse dropped until all four feet were planted firmly on the ground.**

Daine smiled she remembered being in the castle when that happened and she heard peachblossom use a few words that were not proper.

**Kel leaned forward, the weight of her lance dragging at her arm. I'm sorry," she whispered to the gelding. "I forgot your mouth. I won't do it again."**

**"The horse is too big for that page," someone called. "I'm surprised you let him ride that gelding, Cavall."**

Raoul looked around the room "I remember that day the lads were making beats on the girl. Oh I am about to enter let's see how she describes me."

**Kel wilted. The pages had learned to ignore onlookers in the practice yards. She hadn't even noticed that an audience had gathered or thought that anyone in the audience might care enough to comment.**

**"The probationer picked that mount herself, Goldenlake," replied Wyldon coldly. "She had a choice of horses, just like the others."**

**Humiliated, Kel braced her lance on her stirrup—once it was upright, she could control the wretched thing—and turned Peachblossom.**

**A squad of warriors mounted on fine horses watched from outside the yard's fence. They wore the chain mail, blue and silver tunic, and white desert burnoose of the King's Own, the crown's elite guard.**

**Kel wished she could just sink into the ground and prayed that her Yamani schooling kept the humiliation out of her face. These men were as admired as knights, and they had seen her disgraceful try. Most were grinning.**

**One of them, a very tall, big man with rosy cheeks and black eyes, stared at Kel. "This is the girl?" he asked, startled. It was he who had commented to Wyldon.**

Alanna burst out laughing along with Jonathan, "Rosy cheeks Raoul how well she describes you." "At least she did not describe me a feminine Jonathan." Raoul retorted back to Jon's comment.

**The training master grimaced. "Keladry of Mindelan. She knows she may exchange her mount for another, and has chosen not to do so. Have you something we may assist you with?"**

**The big man shook his head. "Not this time. We've reports of a lone tauros sighted near one of the fishing villages upriver."**

**Kel was trying to remember what a tauros was when a Bazhir with the squad commented dryly, "No doubt it is a strayed bull."**

**That's it, Kel remembered. Tauroses were creatures with bull's heads and men's bodies, huge, witless monsters who preyed on women.**

**"Stray bull or not, we'll handle it," said the big rider. "You and your lot will get the chance to help us soon enough, Cavall." He touched his fingers to his forehead in an ironic salute, and rode off at the front of the squad.**

**"If we may proceed?" Wyldon asked the pages. "You will have plenty of chances to gawk at Raoul of Goldenlake in the future."**

**Kel bit the inside of her cheek. Raoul of Goldenlake was the Knight Commander of the King's Own, one of the realm's finest warriors.**

**Neal rode over to her. "Are you all right? You have the oddest look on your face."**

**Kel shook her head. "I'm just embarrassed. I don't suppose you know how to make people vanish."**

Laughter rang around the room at Kel's Comment.

**"It's not something they teach healers," he said dryly, riding to the starting line with her. "If I could, I'd do it all the time. Don't fret. Nobody hits the mark their first day."**

**"But in front of Sir Raoul of Goldenlake," she replied in a low voice. "Who fought a giant on foot and won."**

**"Actually, he's Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak—the king elevated him to the peerage in April," Neal informed her. "And it was only a twenty-foot giant."**

**"Oh, well, I don't feel half so stupid now," muttered Kel. **

Everyone laughed an looked at Raoul, "If I didn't know better I would almost say Young Kelary has hero-worship for you Raoul." Thyette managed to say while laughing. Raoul just puffed out his chest "At least she knows a decent knight when she sees one." Raoul replied making the others break into even more laughter.

**Time to change the subject. "What was that about us helping the King's Own?"**

**"The Stump likes us to get battle experience against immortals. If there's something close by, the King's Own takes us along."**

"That is six weeks now Page Nealan." Wyldon remake looking at the page in question.

**Wyldon called, "You older pages practice separately. Get to it." They drifted to the other four quintains, leaving the first-years to practice under Wyldon's eye.**

**Wyldon beckoned to Quinden of Marti's Hill, indicating he should tilt next. "Excuse me, your lordship, but am I older or younger today?" Neal asked.**

**"One day I will tie that insolent tongue of yours in a knot," replied Wyldon absently as he watched Quinden settle his lance. "You may tilt with the first-years."**

Numair and Alanna both laughed at this. There were many times that both could think of that they would have liked to do that to Neal or many other pages and nobles alike. "Numair maybe we should look into a spell for that." Alanna commented half laughing, Numair catching on to what Alanna was saying laughed and nodded his agreement.

Neal looked between the two and started to lose a bit of colour, George, Myles, and Daine seeing this burst in to laughter, making everyone look at them, then to look at Neal who was by this point quite white.

**Kel saw Neal open his mouth to reply, and swung Peachblossom into Neal's brown mare. The mare skipped away as Peachblossom half turned, ensuring that the gelding caught just a fold of Neal's practice clothes in his teeth instead of Neal's right leg. By the time Kel had persuaded her mount to release her friend, Neal had forgotten whatever answer he'd been about to give the training master.**

"Neal she saves you from the training master but not her horse," Daine laughed out seeing Neal's scowl aimed at the book.

**Kel rode four more times at the quintain. Each try was a fight with the heavy lance; not once did she manage to keep the point high enough to strike the circle. By her third run, her arms felt as weak as overcooked noodles. Kel dragged as she brushed Peachblossom, cleaned her new tack, cut her name onto her lance, and rubbed oil into it. Only when those chores were done could she return to the castle and her waiting bath.**

**"What's wrong?" Neal asked as they stood in line for lunch. "You've been quiet all day, not that you ever chatter." He peered at her so worriedly that Kel had to smile.**

**"I didn't sleep well, that's all," she told him. "I'm sorry I was grumpy."**

**"Stop pushing, Esmond!" growled someone behind her. The next minute Kel was knocked out of line. Turning, she saw that the one who'd bumped her was Merric. Beet-red, he mumbled an apology and shoved Esmond in revenge. It gave him a reason to turn his back on Kel as she resumed her place.**

**He can't even look at me, she thought miserably, leaning against the wall. And I can't look at him. Wonderful.**

**She was leaving to collect her books and papers when Cleon stopped her once again. "Page Keladry," he announced with a broad grin, "my flower, my dove, I need more ink. Run along to stores and fetch me some."**

**"Leave her be, Cleon," said Neal sternly. "She's got enough to worry about without doing your errands."**

**Cleon stared at him. The senior pages were always cautious when it came to Neal. First-year or not, he was older and taller than all of them, and once he lost his temper, he didn't seem to care if he got hurt. Boys who thought nothing of pushing someone like Kel, Merric, or the other first-years around tended to leave Neal alone. "I didn't ask you, Neal," Cleon retorted at last. "She has to get used to running errands sometime."**

**"Even the nobles hardly ask us to do things for them," argued Neal hotly. "They know we're kept trotting."**

**Kel ran to do as she was told, shaking her head. Trust Neal to extend the whole matter by debating about it.**

Thyette smiled at young Neal trying to defend Kel from Cleon, wondering if maybe the young man had a small crush on Keladry.

**She made it to their first class just in time, handing Cleon his ink as she rushed to her seat. Only when she was down and had begun to sort out the mess of her own books and papers did she see how little she'd finished the night before. When Master Yayin, who taught reading and writing, requested her work, she stood and admitted that she didn't have it, as tradition demanded.**

**The Mithran's thick brows came together in a scowl. "Very well, Page Keladry," he said, "report to us orally on the chapter you were to write about."**

**Kel swallowed hard, fighting to keep her feelings out of her face. "I did not read it, Master Yayin," she replied, staring past him.**

**"No sense arguing with a Lump," someone at the back of the room muttered.**

**"Silence!" the teacher snapped. His favored prop was a long wooden rod he used as a pointer. In the first week of classes, Kel had learned that the rod also indicated the teacher's moods. Now he tapped its point slowly and steadily on the floor.**

**Bad sign, thought Kel, damp at her temples and palms. Very bad sign.**

**"Page Keladry, have you an explanation?"**

**Custom dictated only one reply. Explanations were regarded as excuses. I am stone, Kel reminded herself. "No, Master Yayin." She squeezed the words out of a tight throat.**

**"Page Keladry, if you cannot perform a modicum of the work required, you do not belong here," the teacher informed her coldly. "Reconsider your commitment to your studies. Tomorrow you will summarize the next three chapters in the book. Sit down."**

Alanna, Raoul, and Jonathan all grimaced at this knowing that the academic masters were not pleasant when their work was not completed. Alanna and Raoul both thought Kel done well with the Reading and writing master.

**Kel sat. She could hear snickers from the other pages, but she kept her face as smooth as stone.**

**In mathematics, she winced when she saw how creased and blotted her sheet of last night's problems was. She handed it in anyway, and sat through class with shoulders hunched, waiting for a reprimand. Master Ivor liked to correct their work at his desk as one of them solved a problem on a large slate in front of the room; somehow he did both easily. Papers, with his written comments, were handed back at the end of the class. He gave Kel hers with raised eyebrows, then passed to the next student. She looked down and read the note he'd scrawled on the cleanest part of the paper: "I hardly believe this is yours. Redo it, properly, with tonight's assignment."**

**She could have kissed him, she was so relieved. At least he did not want to humiliate her, even though she'd disappointed him. Since mathematics was her favorite class, she hated the idea that he might think her lazy.**

Raoul hearing that she like maths, wondered if she would have liked doing logistics for companies of men.

**Sir Myles did not assign written work, only reading, and didn't call on Kel for anything. The thought that he might kept her nervous through the class—she couldn't even remember what he'd assigned until the boys he did call on talked about the material. On her way out of class, Sir Myles asked, "Keladry? Might I have a word?"**

Alanna laughed, "why Myles that comments sounds very familiar to me." Myles just smiled and nodded at his daughter knowing that she was teasing him.

**"He probably wants to know what the Yamani emperor has for breakfast," Neal muttered out of the side of his mouth.**

**Kel frowned at her friend and walked up to the plump teacher's desk. It took an effort of will to keep her hands flat at her sides, not twisting nervously together. "Is everything well?" Sir Myles wanted to know. "You look wan."**

**"Sir?" she asked, puzzled by the word and wondering why he'd singled her out.**

**"Tired, pale. Exhausted. Are you getting enough rest? The boys aren't hounding you, are they?"**

**Kel shook her head nervously. "No, sir. I'm fine. Couldn't be better."**

**His beautifully curved eyebrows rose. "And of course it would be shameful of you to say otherwise."**

**Here, at least, Kel was on firm ground. "Yes, sir."**

**"A page must endure everything that comes."**

**"Yes, sir." At last—answers that she knew!**

"And she answered and sounded just like you did back then to Alanna, all though she was not a smart mouth like you were." Myles teased his adopted daughter Alanna poked her tongue out at her father and went back to reading.

**"And where did you learn this?" Myles inquired mildly. "From Sir Wyldon, that paragon of knightly virtue?"**

**Kel frowned. Was Sir Myles being sarcastic? "I learned it from my brothers, and from the emperor's warriors, at the Yamani imperial court. Sir."**

**The eyebrows lifted another quarter of an inch; Myles tilted his head to one side. He reminded Kel of the sparrow Crown, who had pecked her nose that morning. Suddenly her gloom lifted a touch; she ducked her head to hide a smile.**

Myles laughed out "at least now I know what made her smile, and I am glad that she did. She was starting to worry me."

**"What does it take to be a Yamani warrior?" Myles inquired. He seemed genuinely interested.**

**"It takes a great deal of running up and down mountains in the rain, and not complaining about it," Kel said instantly, then clapped her hand over her mouth. What if he thought she was being impudent? But there was something about him, a sort of waiting kindness that made her want to answer him frankly.**

**To her relief, Myles chuckled. "I've heard of this odd behavior," he admitted. "But you admire the Yamanis."**

**"Oh, yes, sir!" she replied, nodding. "They keep going through anything."**

**Myles sighed. "It's my misfortune to be dumped amid so many warrior stoics," he remarked, shaking his head.**

**"Sir?" she asked, confused. That sounded like the best company in the world.**

**"Never mind. Run along to Master Lindhall. And, Keladry—"**

**She turned halfway to the door. "Sir?"**

**"If you need a friend—if you need someone to talk to—the servants can tell you where to find me."**

**She stared at him for a moment. The Lioness's adoptive father was offering her friendship!**

**"Thank you, sir," she said, and bowed deeply.**

**Myles waved her on.**

Jon, Alanna, and Raoul all smiled remembering how Myles had done the same for them when they were young.

**Somehow Kel got through the rest of the afternoon without further mishap. She'd completed her nights work for Master Lindhall and Tkaa the basilisk, and could hand it in with a free conscience. In etiquette Master Oakbridge was still using her as a secondary teacher of Yamani manners, and had not assigned other work to her. She had no awkward excuses to make to him.**

**As she changed into a dress for supper, memories of her flight from Joren and his friends, kept at bay by exercise and worry about classwork, came rushing back. Angry with herself, she picked up the practice glaive she'd brought from home and did a series of quick exercises with it. When she finished, her arms—already tired from that morning's work with the lance—were trembling. It was time to go to the mess hall.**

**Enough fussing, she ordered herself. Next time I'll just say something, is all. Even if it's against tradition. I won't have another day when I go around feeling like a whipped dog because I turned my back on Merric!**

**At supper, Prince Roald and Neal discussed the problems they'd been set in mage training while Kel considered her problem with the lance. Her second-oldest brother, Inness, had told her loftily that a girl's arms were not as strong as a boy's. After that morning she had to agree. All of the other first-year pages had been able to keep their lances from pointing at the ground.**

**I have to train harder, decided Kel. I have to strengthen my arms.**

**She fiddled with her spoon, wondering if she'd ever be able to lift that cursed lance. Then Joren's voice rang out across the room: "I swear, those Shang warriors have an exercise for everything."**

**"If you wish to be a herald, Joren, apply to their college in the morning," Wyldon said, raising his own voice. "Until then, converse in a more seemly way."**

**A brief hush fell. As Wyldon gave the signal to rise, Neal asked her, "Are you studying with us tonight?"**

**"In a while," she promised. "Do you know where I might find the Wildcat?" For once, Joren had helped her. If anyone would know how to strengthen her arms, it would be a Shang warrior who spent her life fighting men.**

**She had to try a couple of the places Neal and Roald suggested, but was successful at last. Eda Bell was happy to show Kel exercises for the arms. The hardest involved lying flat on the ground, pushing the body up with both arms, lowering it partway, then pushing up again. Kel managed only three of these exercises under the Wildcat's eye before her exhausted arms gave out. Eda promised her that if she kept exercising, she would do better soon. Feeling hopeful, Kel headed back to the pages' wing.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Alanna said putting the book down on the table in front of her.  
>Quite conversations sprung up between the groups members about what had been learnt. Thyette and Buri who had made notes the whole way through the chapter looked down at the noted. "So to summarise the chapter, Kel showed many aspects of those who should be knights, showed the initiative to seek out the Shang trainers to help her and for some reason she is having trouble with lance." Buri commented looking around the room, just about everyone nodded in agreement all but Wyldon.<p>

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><p>AN So here is the next chapter guys gahhh I am having trouble getting these chapters out as I do not want to be repetitive. Also please read The New Queen it needs some love lol.

A big thanks to all who Reviewed.

sakura-blossom62 - chapter 12 . Mar 24 - I am glad that I made your day hope this one's makes it again.

- chapter 12 . Mar 24 – Thank you and here is the next chapter

FluffyFurball - chapter 12 . Mar 25 - I may take you up on the offer.


	14. Chapter 14 Meeting in the tent

**A/n hey guys sorry this has taken so long to be put up but have had very bad writers block. Fingers crossed this is ok and please if anyone would like to beta let me know.**

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><p><em>Previously… <em>_"Let us go inside the tent and talk, maybe young one you could tell us if the gods will allow it what it was they have told you." Turning to enter the tent Kel suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder looking up she saw faithful sitting on her shoulder watching the older Shang's. "You may tell then of the two paths that you walked down with the gods, but you cannot speak about the gifts they bestowed on your weapons." Faithful told her. Nodding her understand Kel and Shang's entered the tent._

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><p><em>Chapter 7 <em>

As Kel walked into the tent with Shang training masters she wondered what she could actually tell them and what she could not. Looking around the tent, she saw the inside walls were a deep burgundy red with many animals stitched on in different colours. Inside, a patterned floor rug covered most of the tent's floor. There were no chairs but mounds of pillows to sit on and a low table like that which you would find in the Yamani islands.

The Shang Lion and the Shang Rabbit both took a seat on the cushions Cass following their lead. Once seat they watched the girl standing before them, "Sit young one and tell us, why you were sent to us by the gods, and if possible which gods wish you to train in our ways," the Lion Spoke watching the girl close.

Kel sat on the cushions facing the three training masters and bowed her head. "My story is a long one and many parts I still cannot understand. As I said earlier, his Imperial Majesties training master Lady Nariko trained me for the six years that I lived in the Islands. When my family returned to Tortall after the marriage negotiations were finished I asked near on begged my mother to allow me to attend Knight training so that I may have my shield and help those who need the help. I was accepted on a years' probation as I am a girl and it was to be decided by the training master if I should carry on or not at the end of the year. At the end of the year my Lord Wyldon told me that I could not continue to train, I did not fight but I did tell him as I left 'I will be a warrior my Lord and I will find away' with that I left his office chambers and made my way back to my rooms. "Stopping for a moment Kel looked at the three people in front of her trying to read their faces.

The Shang Lion was upset that the so-called fair and just King Jonathon could condone such things going on in his kingdom.

"Carry on Kel, the sooner you tell everything the sooner it is over and you don't have to talk about it again." Cass encouraged her young pupil.

"I returned to my rooms and packed everything that I had not already packed, leaving a note for the servants to return my chest and other belongings still in my rooms to my parents townhouse in Chorus I made my way to the stables, I quickly saddled up peachblossom and left before anyone could make me go to the convent. I was going to book passage back to the Islands and see if His imperial majesty could help me become a warrior. It was getting late and I knew to seek shelter for the night. I found an old willow tree, settling down I made a camp. Not long after night had fallen, I heard a noise I thought it sounded like a kittens meow. A few seconds later, this little black kitten came in the light of the camp fire, all black fur, and purple eyes. Seeing the kitten I remembered the stories of Lady Alanna's cat though I could not remember the name at first, then I remember it was Faithful. "Looking down at said kitten beside her Kel wondered if she should tell the training masters that Faithful now spoke to her "Do not tell them I speak to you Keladry." Was faithful's quite word to her but to the others it was just a meow.

"Not long after that I settled down for the night and quickly fell asleep, this is when my dream started well I think it was a dream." Kel began to tell them the dream thinking back to the dream and replaying the dream again.

_Kel was walking through the forest when she saw three paths in front of her. One was blocked and as she looked down it, she saw her friends carrying on with page training._  
><em>Looking down the middle path, she saw herself and others training in what looked to be Shang fighting. However, they never take older students, she thought. Down the last path, she saw herself in a beautiful flowing gown standing before an altar with Joren of Stone Mountain, accompanied with a life of living on a fief and never being rid of the beatings he would give her.<em>

_Just then, three people and the kitten appeared beside her. Kel looked at them and a woman of great beauty with raven colored hair and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. She also saw a man carrying a golden shield and sword, and the third was another black haired beautiful woman with dark brown eyes and tanned skin._

_Kel suddenly gasped and knelt before the three gods standing before her: the Great Mother Goddess, Mithros, and the Goddess Yama._ _Mithros stepped forward and reached his hand out as he calmly said, "Stand, our daughter, you have a very important choice to make for whichever path you choose, you will have great obstacles and difficulties, but also great rewards."_ _Kel stood by Mithros and looked at the three gods "If you don't mind me asking, why am I here? I don't have the gift and I am no one special."_ _Yama laughed at this "Keladry, you were chosen for many reasons, reasons like your compassion for all humans and animals, Noble or commoner, your willingness to defend and protect all, your selflessness, the way that you will do anything for others and never help yourself."_

_"Come for a walk with me young Keladry," Mithros stated as he took Kel's arm and started to walk her down the path of the Shang warriors._ _"If you follow this path, daughter, your dreams of being a warrior and helping to defend those weaker than you will come to pass. In this, we wish you well as you will have many troubles should you follow this path, but also you may have many great joys."_ _Kel watched the scenes around her change. Her training with many different Shang then came her ordeal of Shang to her naming though she could not see what she was to become, the trials of lovers and faithlessness of men,_ _Scenes of finding true love at the end and of children of her own running around before her. She could not see the man clearly but knew that she would love him._

_She saw metal machines killing people savagely. She saw her fighting a man and killing him, the Yamani Islands going to war with Tortall over the disrespect done to her, and much more, she could not even comprehend._ _Mithros and Yama both looked at her. "Kel, when you came to my Islands I knew you would one day be a Legend. I was hoping for a legend from my Islands but, that was not the way it was to be. You, our daughter, have the choice now. Live the hard life of a warrior and save many countries from war and total ruin or you may take the other path. Yama looked at her._

_The Great Mother Goddess stepped forward. Smiling, she quietly said, "Come, my daughter, let me show you the path of a Noble woman that you can take." Kel and The three gods slowly walked down the second path where she watched herself go to the convent and become a Lady, leave the convent and return to court and find a husband._

_She watched as she was married to Joren, and she watched years of him beating her and forcing her to his bed whenever he wanted._ _The Goddess showed scenes of children running around and laughing at a young age. However, they got older, turning from their mother and treating her as their father did. Then there were images of the loss of the war with the Yamani Islands and Scanra, of her friends being killed by the monsters, of her children becoming slaves for the Scanrans. Finally, images of herself being taken away to the Yamani islands where she was again married but to a kinder man and one who she ended up loving and having children who would love her too._

_At the end of the path, the three gods looked at Kel. Mithros, being the one who apparently was very fond of young Kel, smiled and asked, "Daughter you have been shown, now, where your paths may lead but you need to choose, do you choose to be a warrior and help those in need or shall you become a lady and do nothing with your life?"_

_As the three gods looked at her, Kel looked at the two paths again and gave a smile to Mithros, the great mother goddess and Yama. She replied, "I could never be a Noble lady. I will walk the path of a warrior so that I may help and protect those who need it."_ _All three gods smiled; suddenly Kel felt a burning sensation on her arms she looked down to see a tattoo appear on her arms of birds trailing flames behind them, carrying two crossed glaive's,_ _suddenly her weapons appeared in front of her. Yama took her Glaive and smiled, weighing it. Suddenly it glowed a brilliant blue "Always carry this Glaive, daughter of mine, and it shall never let you down. Know that this glaive will never break and it always stay sharp." Yama smiled, handed her the glaive, kissed her on the forehead and left._

_Mithros took her sword and it suddenly glowed a bright golden color. When that faded, Mithros handed her back her sword. "Take your sword, daughter, blessed by me. Know this sword will never break unless dealt a blow by another god blessed blade and it shall always be sharp. In times of trouble, place your faith in the sword."_

_Mithros then stepped forward and handed her sword to her. He lent forward and kissed her on her right check and she felt a jolt of power. "May you follow the path of a warrior, my daughter, and, always remember that I will be here, guiding you in times of need." With that, Mithros stepped back and left._

_Lastly, the great mother goddess stepped forward. "I do not give you weapons, my daughter, but I do give you a token to help you." The great mother put a beautiful red stone on a golden chain around her neck "This is a sun stone. It came from the sun you see shinning in your world. It will burn hot if someone is a foe to you, it will help you speak to peaceable Immortals as you will need them in times of trouble."_

_Kel looked at the great mother goddess "Is it like the token you gave Lady Alanna?"_ _"In a ways yes it is but this is made just for you. Now, daughter, our time is nearly up. When you awaken, two people will be near you. Do not attack them but tell them 'I am Keladry and the Gods have sent me to you so that I may train by your hand' I am off to let them know of you and what they must do for you. Know I am also here, helping to guide you through your path."_

_The great mother goddess lent forward and kissed her left cheek, looking at the kitten at Kel's feet. She smiled. "Well, small one. It looks as if you have another to help guide. Look after her well and when you see Alanna, please be nice to her. She still grieves for you."_

_With that, the Great Mother Goddess left Kel as she started to drift away from the dream and back to wakefulness, The clearing slowly became foggy and then_

As Kel told the Shang Masters about her dream, she remembered to keep that the gods had blessed her weapons a secret. Finally, with her story just about complete Kel began to relax. "Not long after that I woke up and hearing voices I remembered that the great mother goddess had told me to approach them and tell them 'I am Keladry and the Gods have sent me to you so that I may train by your hand' after that the Shang Griffin and the Shang wolf introduced themselves." At this point Cassandra stopped Kel to tell the Shang Lion and the Shang Rabbit about the dream that she and the Wolf had, had together.

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><p><strong>An 2 well i am going to leave it there for you all for this chapter. Now for the long list of thank you's again lol**

sakura-blossom62 chapter 12 . Mar 24, 2014 – thank you so much for your continued reviews they do make me want to update more and hope this chapter helps with the long wait between chapters

chapter 12 . Mar 24 – Thank you and here is another chapter

FluffyFurball chapter 12 . Mar 25 – thank you I would be happy to take you up on the offer of Beta.

Guest chapter 11 . Mar 24 – lol we will never know only Daine does well peachblossom as well lol.

Arlewena chapter 13 . Mar 31 – lol we will have to wait and see what they think

HannokiKaen chapter 13 . Mar 31 - thank you for the idea I may use it in the next few chapters.

sakura-blossom62 chapter 13 . Apr 1 – I think we are all getting annoyed with him but he will see the errors of his ways I promise

LeMaMo chapter 13 . Apr 1 – I hope this gives you another highlight to your day.

Janus chapter 13 . Apr 1 – I know it is a lot of rehashing the books I am also trying to make Wyldon seem real bad for the first part of the book until we see what Joren was really like then I promise he will get better. Also thank you for your honesty I will try to give a deeper insight in further chapters, I am just not very good at it.

individualitea chapter 13 . Apr 12 – you will have to continue to read it and see where it goes lol

Silverprincess chapter 1 . Apr 12 – another update for you.

Guest chapter 13 . Apr 24 - I hope this is the update you may enjoy.


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